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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2012.1.150
Title
Intaglio: Harpocrates on a Boat Surrounded by Animals
Classification
Gems
Work Type
gem
Date
1st-4th Century CE
Period
Roman Imperial period
Culture
Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/72423

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Hematite
Technique
Intaglio
Dimensions
1.7 x 1.6 cm (11/16 x 5/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: five lines of Greek vowels on the reverse,
    A E E H H H /
    I I I I O O O /
    O O V V V V /
    V V W W W /
    W W W W

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Eleftherios Sossidi, Hamburg, (between 1955-65 - 1990's), sold; [through Sotheby's sale 7742, New York, December 7, 2001, lot 314]; to The Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (2001-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012.

Note: E. Sossidi (1913-1992) worked in Cairo from 1958-1968.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University
Accession Year
2012
Object Number
2012.1.150
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Square hematite intaglio with Harpocrates surrounded by animals. Harpocrates sits facing left on a lotus blossom in a barge, holding a flail in one hand and raising his other hand to his mouth. His head is flanked by a star and a waxing crescent moon. A border of animals surrounds the scene, with three scarabs at the top, three goats on the right, three snakes and three crocodiles on the bottom, and three falcons on the right. On the other side is a magical inscription ("voces magicae") of Greek vowels surrounded by a beveled edge.

Publication History

  • Simone Michel, Die magischen Gemmen: Zu Bildern und Zauberformeln auf geschnittenen Steinen der Antike und Neuzeit, Akademie Verlag (Berlin, Germany, 2004), 274, no. 19.4.b (as Sossidi 6), pl. 30.1.

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu