Rare James Tassie oval seal, white cast glass/enamel figure of a youth, c. 1785
$495.00 AUD
Rare glass ‘Tassie’ seal of oval form, depicting a standing youth with cloth-draped arm, a club & snake to one side, a quiver of arrows at his back, his extended arm perhaps holding a bow-grip.
Inscription below ‘ INXAEP’
Circa 1785
3×2.4cm
Good condition, the back with small rim chip showing the nature of the interior.
James Tassie (1735-99) was a Scottish gem engraver who came to perfect a method of using glass-enamel to cast replicas of ancient gems. He was well known to Josiah Wedgwood, who purchased many of his creations with the sole purpose of reproducing them in his own ceramic body. James Tassie produced in excess of 20,000 different designs in his long career.
The identity of this example is difficult to decipher; the inscription doesn’t appear to be legitimate. The subject is a young muscular man, he rests his hand on a stump – or club – which seems to have a snake encircling it. This snake makes Asclepius (ie ‘Mercury’), the God of medicine, appropriate, except for his youthful nature – and the quiver of arrows at his back, and object in his hand. The head appears to be bearded, another plus for Asclepius – but he wears a plain sandal without the wings
The gems Tassie copied were thought to be ancient by their owners – the various aristocrats of Europe – but included later ‘fakes’, and re-cut gems. The ambiguity of the figure on this gem suggests it is partially restored / recut, with some confusion about the details that would identify the individual. Many of the Ancient Greek marble statues had the same issues.
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