Is there any profile more lovely than that of Antinöos, that beautiful rustic beloved by Hadrian? I think not, and of the all the surviving portraits of him, this one in slightly translucent black chalcedony is by far my favorite.
Born in Bithynia (the northern Black Sea coastline of Asia Minor), the comely youth caught the eye of the emperor as a teenager. A conspicuously self-styled hellenophile, Hadrian took the youth as a companion and favorite in an apparent revival of pederastic customs of Classical Athens he sponsored. As such, Antinoös accompanied the imperial court on a highly visible tour of the empire at Hadrian’s side. Elevated to the heady stratosphere of Roman society, he undoubtedly attracted the ire of concerned courtesans, and eventually drowned under extremely suspicious circumstances as the royal flotilla progressed down the Nile.
Heartbroken Hadrian established religious cults in his honor, named a city after him, and commissioned a series of undeniably gorgeous portraits. This large (3.5 cm tall) gem is one of these posthumous portraits likely made in the decade immediately following the 19 year old’s death in 130 A.D., eventually entering an aristocratic Venetian collection and subsequently that of the 4th Duke of Marlborough.
You might recognize this sublime intaglio and its striking gold surround – it was the star of Christie’s 2019 sale of the San Giorgi gems. Being hugely important aesthetically and historically, bidding was fierce, and the distinguished provenance made it possible for the Getty to enter the fray. (That fine institution acquired 16 other gems in the sale). A happy ending for this fragmentary beauty with a heartbreaking backstory…
