The Farnese Hercules
ca. 1770–90
Medium
Onyx and gold
Dimensions
Overall: 1 1/8 x 13/16 in. (2.9 x 2.1 cm); visible cameo (confirmed): 24.8 x 16.6 mm
Classification
Lapidary Work-Gems
Culture
Italian, Rome
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Milton Weil Collection, 1939
Accession Number
39.22.46
Tags
About the Artist
Giovanni Pichler · 1734–1791
Giovanni Pichler, born on January 10, 1734, in Naples, emerged from a distinguished Tyrolean family of gem engravers led by his father, Johann Anton Pichler (1697–1779), who had settled first in Naples and later in Rome. Trained rigorously by his father in classical gem-carving techniques, Pichler also apprenticed under the painter Domenico Corvi, honing skills that blended glyptic precision with ...