Antonius Subia says:
We went to the Getty Villa today to see the Antinous Marlborough Sardonix. It was so wonderful and far more beautiful than I anticipated, although I was disappointed with the way it was displayed…it was just in a case along with several other pieces like it was nothing special. It needs to be displayed in its own case on a pedestal with a spotlight in its own room all by itself!We asked the woman at the information desk where it was and she didn't know what we were talking about and there was nothing in the computer.
But we found it on our own and it really is absolutely beautiful, black and gold with a deep cut image of Antinous and the cryptic broken signature of the artist Anton…possibly the same Antonino who carved the Lanuvium relief. The Marlborough Sardonix, which should now be called the Getty Sardonix, is our Antinous of Los Angeles.
The "Roman Black Chalcedony Intaglio Portrait of Antinous" was the showcase piece of the AUCTION. The final price was far in excess of the pre-auction estimate of $300,000-$500,000. The gem went to an unnamed buyer.
The Marlborough Antinous was part of a group of ancient gems acquired by the museum at the auction.
The group acquired by the Getty includes Greek gems of the Minoan, Archaic and Classical periods, as well as Etruscan and Roman gems, some of which are in their original gold rings.
They have never been on public view and were only recently published for the first time in Masterpieces in Miniature. Engraved Gems from Prehistory to the Present (London and New York, 2018) by Claudia Wagner and Sir John Boardman.
"The acquisition of these gems brings into the Getty's collection some of the greatest and most famous of all classical gems, most notably the portraits of Antinous and Demosthenes," explains Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum.
"This acquisition represents the most important enhancement to the Getty Villa's collection in over a decade," he adds.
Here is how the museum described this incredible gem:
"Superbly engraved on this unusually large black chalcedony gem is a portrait bust of Antinous ....
"Traditionally identified as depicting him in the guise of a hunter, Antinous wears a chlamys over his shoulders pinned in place by a circular fibula and carries a spear.
"His idealized facial features display a rounded chin, full lips, and thick hair arranged in luscious curls that cover his ears and fall along his neck.
"Stylistically, this gem is exactly that of his main portrait types in marble.
"The extraordinary quality of the engraving has led many to proclaim this the finest surviving portrait of Antinous in existence in any medium.
"Some of the missing portions of his bust were restored during the Renaissance in gold. Behind his shoulders three letters are preserved, ANT […], plus a portion of a fourth letter and possibly parts of the others, the inscription either identifying the subject or perhaps an artist’s signature," states the auction house.
The Marlborough Antinous, one of the most famous works of Antinous art, was made circa 130-138 AD.
It has been owned by Count Antonio Maria Zanetti (1679-1767), Venice, acquired by 1740; George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (1739-1817), Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, acquired from the above by 1767; thence by descent to his son, George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough (1766-1840), Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire; thence by descent to his son, George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough (1793–1857), Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire; thence by descent to his son, John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough (1822-1883), Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. Thereafter, it went to David Bromilow (1809-1898), Bitteswell Hall, Leicestershire; Francis E. Whelan (1848-1907), London; Charles Newton-Robinson (1853-1913), London; Giorgio Sangiorgi (1886-1965), Rome and subsequently passed on to the present owners.
"The Marlborough Antinous is one of the most famous gems to survive from antiquity and has a long list of owners since its rediscovery in the Renaissance," says the museum.
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