![]() The specific characteristics of engraved gems, their strictly private character and the whole array of devices appearing on them are examined in respect to their potential propagandistic value and usefulness in social life. This book presents an evolutionary model of the use of engraved gems from self-presentation (3rd-2nd century BC) to personal branding and propaganda purposes in the Roman Republic and under Augustus (until 14 AD). The miniaturism of ancient gems is in inverse proportion to their cultural significance. They enable us to analyse and learn about Roman propaganda and various social behaviours from a completely different angle than coins, sculpture or literature. Gems can show both general trends (the specific showpieces like State Cameos) as well as the individual and private acts of being involved in politics and social affairs, mainly through a subtle display of political allegiances, since they were objects of strictly personal use. They cast light on the self-advertising and propaganda actions performed by Roman political leaders, especially Octavian/Augustus, their factions and other people engaged in the politics and social life of the past. Although in antiquity intaglios and cameos had multiple applications (seals, jewellery or amulets), the images engraved upon them are snapshots of people's beliefs, ideologies, and everyday occupations. In fact, the first gem testifies to the great contribution of the Poniatowski collection to the reception of Classical culture, while the other is a falsification of the original which reflects a later collector’s aim to possess a ‘Poniatowski gem’.Įngraved Gems and Propaganda in the Roman Republic and under Augustus deals with small, but highly captivating and stimulating artwork – engraved gemstones. They are faithful copies of two Poniatowski gems. The second depicts a crowned snake-god with the incorrect Latin inscription: VOT ![]() The first presents a scene of Hebe pouring out nectar for Jupiter (with an eagle behind him). It presents two intaglios from the collection of the National Museum in Krakow. In contrary to other works on the Poniatowski gems, this paper focuses not on the collection itself, but on its impact on the later gem engraving. ![]() But these intaglios and cameos, and especially the themes they bear, portray in their beauty an effort to re-create a lost neo-classical world as reflected in the texts of Homer, Vergil, and other ancient authors. However, its sale at Christie’s in 1839 was a disaster, as the cabinet turned out to include almost only neo-classical specimens and, thus, half of the gems did not go under the hammer. In the first half of the 19th century, the Prince Stanisław Poniatowski (1754–1833) collection of engraved gems was considered to be one of the most outstanding known assemblages. The discovery is important because it was thought that the collector did not buy any Poniatowski gems. Nevertheless, an attempt was made to propose some possibilities. In the absence of archive documents, it is extremely difficult to ascertain when and where Schmidt-Ciążyński could have bought this specimen. The Schmidt-Ciążyński intaglio which can securely be identified is presented here. ![]() Only the descriptions in the catalogues and incomplete sets of impressions in Berlin (Antikensammlung) and Oxford (Beazley Archive) allow us to identify original gems from the collection. The Prince’s gems were completely dispersed after his death (1833) at auction organised by Christie's in London in 1839. ![]() It is now possible to identify Prince Stanislas Poniatowski (1754-1833) as the former owner of one intaglio. This paper presents new research about the origins of engraved gems in the collection of Constantine Schmidt-Ciążyński (1818-1889), partially preserved in the National Museum in Krakow. ![]()
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