Italian, 17th century

The present intaglio is ultimately derived from one of the most celebrated ancient models showing the Greek warrior Diomedes holding the Palladion statue of Athena, which he had stolen from the citadel of Troy thereby fulfilling a prophesy that should the Palladion be removed from Troy the city would fall. The model is known from a celebrated 1st-century AD intaglio, the Felix Gem in the Ashmolean Museum (inv. no. AN1966.1808), in which Diomedes is greeted by Odysseus. The model is known in ancient versions with the single figure of Diomedes, including the intaglio in the National Archaelogical Museum, Naples, published in E. Kris, Renaissance-Kleinkunst in Italien, Leipzig, 1930, no. 21/5.

The present intaglio is likely to date 17th century, at which time the use of banded agates was very popular. The use of vegetal motifs to add context is also seen in 17th-century Italian and German glyptics.