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A similar Sphinx, but without name. La Turbie.
Helmeted warrior standing at the side of his horse. Modern
stone, where the name is written THAMYRIS.

d'Issemberg.

Prince

Child seated. Cameo, of which many repetitions are known.
Caylus.

THYOSUS.Altar and eagle. Paste. De Thoms.

TRYPHON (ΤΡΥΦΩΝ ΕΠΟΙΕΙ).— Marriage of Cupid and Psyche : infant forms, the latter holding a dove, conducted towards the nuptial couch by two Cupids and Hymen bearing a torch. Cameo, the figures flesh-colour, on a black ground of Sardonyx. Marlborough.

The same subject, but of inferior work. Naples.

Cupid riding a lion. Sard. The Hague.

Triumphal procession. Jasper. Raspe.

Combat of Æneas and Diomed. Sard. Caylus.

Of these artists the most illustrious for their ancient reputation or for their works at present in existence are the

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ACTRACTOY

Satyr surprising a Sleeping Nymph. Signet of Aspasius: Roman.

Agate.

In the above extract from Clarac's list I have omitted some few names which he describes as doubtful, and which appear to me rather to indicate the name of the owner of the signet than that of the engraver. And this is probably the case with many even of those here given, especially where the gem is an intaglio intended only for the sealing and authentication of documents. The only artists' signatures (first supposing the work of them antique), which can be certainly relied upon are such as are accompanied by the word EПOIEI ("fecit" in modern parlance), or are inscribed on a tablet in a significant manner, or else are engraved in such minute characters at the side of the composition as only to be recognised by a careful search, and which, purposely as it were, avoid all interference with the proper design of the stone. The letters AIO following some of these names are usually read as an abbreviation of λloyλʊæтns, or gem-engraver; but such an artist was always styled in his own times δακτυλιογλυπτης, as the first appellation would not have been sufficiently definite, applying equally well to any sculptor or even stone-mason. Again, from the large size of the characters in such inscriptions it is plain that the name is merely that of the owner of the intaglio, and that AIOO stands for the "gem or signet of such a one," and properly serves to authenticate the impression on the wax or clay. On camei on the contrary, such names being usually left in relief in the same layer of the stone out of which the figures themselves are cut, doubtless designate the artist himself, in accordance with the common practice of antiquity

of inscribing bas-reliefs and statues with the names of their sculptors. I have myself examined the following intagli supposed to bear the names of their engravers, on which I shall make a few observations.

1. A helmeted male portrait, AAAYON for Allion, reading y for 1 as the fourth letter, an error not likely to have been committed by a modern engraver, who would necessarily be on his guard against any blunder. This gem was undoubtedly antique. Sard. Pulsky.

2. A minute dancing faun, AYAOY in very small letters. Sard. Boocke. For this gem £100 had been refused by the

owner.

3. A head of Ceres, AYAOY in microscopic letters. Once in the Webb Collection, but doubtful. Rhodes.

4. A Satyr surprising a sleeping Nymph. On a black and white Onyx, extremely minute and delicate work, in the exergue ACIIACIOY apparently antique; but the importance given to the inscription by the large size of the letters proves it to be the name of the owner. Rhodes. 5. Magnificent front-face of a Bacchante. On a large pale Ruby, inscribed EAAHN in the finest possible characters at the side. Boocke.

6. Fine bust of a Bacchante. Large Amethyst, inscribed NEAPKOƐ, probably the owner's name. Pulsky. I possess an excellent intaglio of Apollo Delphicus, on which is scratched in antique but unfinished letters X. NEA, apparently the same name abbreviated.

7. A head of Neptune, front-face, 2AOC perhaps for Solon, but doubtful. Emerald or fine Beryl. Herz.

8. Bust of a Muse, inscribed AIOƐKOYPIAOY in somewhat larger letters than appear on the other gems from his hand. Sard. Pulsky. The intaglio is certainly not equal in

9 Or, perhaps, an addition of some Italian falsifier, who, misled by the usage of his own tongue (where the

name would be spelt Nearco), has thus blundered the name Nearchus.

merit to what we might have expected from so famous an artist; but the name gave it so high a value that it was purchased by Count Wickzay for 800 gold ducats.10

9. Bust, nearly full-faced, of a Roman, probably Mæcenas. An admirable intaglio, very deeply cut. ΑΠΟΛΛΟΝΙΟΥ in small neat characters indubitably antique. Jacinth. Rhodes.

10. Naked Faun carrying a large vase on his shoulder and ascending a hill. Of the finest and most minute execution, in the exergue KOINOY in letters almost microscopic. Sard. Rhodes. Clarac assigns a Faun on Nicolo, inscribed with the same name, to Natter.'

MOINCY

Faun with Urn. Finest Greek Style. Sard.

ON THE CATALOGUE OF ANCIENT GEM-ENGRAVERS. Taken partly from Visconti, Opere Varie,' II. 115.

A catalogue of ancient gem-engravers, arranged according to their several epochs, would certainly form an extremely instructive and curious part of any treatise on this study; but the difficulty of drawing it up with any sure foundation, based upon actual documents, or even upon plausible conjectures, surpasses all imagination. This difficulty arises, first, from the deficiency of notices left to us by ancient writers in this

10 350l.

1 'This sard, however, is, as far as concerns the intaglio, an indubitably antique work of the best Grecian time, although the inscription has

probably been added by a modern hand; such, at least, is the opinion of a most experienced connoisseur, to whom the matter was referred.

branch of the history of art, and from the absence of all chronological indications in the greater portion of the gems marked with their authors' names; secondly, from the ancient practice of placing the original artist's name even upon copies from his works; and lastly, from the actual forgery of these names-a thing not uncommon among the ancients themselves, but of the utmost frequency amongst the moderns.

The intrinsic difficulty of the task is augmented by another and extrinsic one: that is to say, the want of all critical knowledge in the two archæologists, Stosch and Bracci, who have undertaken to collect and elucidate all gems bearing the artists' names. Such blind guides easily lead astray all who follow them with any degree of reliance upon their knowledge.

Materials for a critical history being so scarce and so uncertain, it will be the best plan to make but one class of the artists before the age of Alexander. Amongst these, Admon can have no place, his name being written with the W of the form not used till after that epoch. The stiff manner of the Diana of Heius would make us regard him as anterior to the times of Praxiteles; but the name HEIOƐ may be read as a trisyllable Eeus, for if we suppose the first letter to be merely an aspirate, then we should not find the final & used, according to the analogy of the Athenian inscriptions of that date, and of certain legends on the medals of Philip.

The only other engravers who have a right to appear in this division are Mnesarchus, named as the father of Pythagoras-an historical notice which also incidentally proves the high antiquity of this art, as, even at that early period, furnishing a distinct profession; Thamyrus and Phrygillus, who show by the stiffness of their style that they must have flourished before the age of Alexander. The characters E, C,

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