Politur im Hohlraum des Intaglio. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Forschung

Abstract

Supreme artisanship, particularly conspicuous in the engraved gems work, renders the gem polyhedron from the El Prado Treasure of the Grand Dauphin an outstanding piece from a period of transition between Renaissance and Baroque art. This paper deals with three engraved gems in a small trapezial field on the main side. These serve as objects of study and point of departure for a research project conducted by the German Archaeological Institute in Madrid and the El Prado Museum. The manifold musical gifts of a female figure represented on the first stone and the figure of a victorious warrior on the second stone meet again on the third intaglio as a dancing couple, forming a mythological scene uniting a satyr and a menad. Reminiscences from Antiquity thus give life to an expression of peacefull union and enjoyment of life – the subject matter being most apt to meet the demand of Renaissance princes and royalties keen on celebrating themselves as presiding over the best of all societies. The author further points out that the study of engraved gems in general, but especially the study of their carving, has always been rendered difficult by the minute size defying even magnifying lenses. Nowadays, digital photography opens new horizons for art historians investigating modern gems and cameos. Finally, special attention is paid to the history of the study of intaglios from Vasari and Jost Ammann up to Winckelmann, Lessing and the present day.