corundum, History.1, gems

An extraordinarily comprehensive catalogue of the ancient engraved gemstones and related objects in the Kunsthistorischen Museum in Vienna. Includes pieces from the Minoan period, through the Roman era, to the post-antique ages. Zwierlein-Diehl and Luckert catalogue the extensive collection of ancient engraved gems in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Published in three volumes, the work provides systematic descriptions and illustrations of intaglios, cameos, and related engraved stones, with entries addressing material, dimensions, technique, subject matter, style, date, provenance where known, and relevant bibliography. The collection encompasses Greek, Etruscan, Hellenistic, Roman, and later material and includes a wide variety of gemstones and ornamental stones. Detailed discussion of iconography, inscriptions, workshop traditions, and stylistic and chronological relationships makes the catalogue an important reference for the study of ancient glyptic art as well as for the identification, use, and historical appreciation of gemstones in antiquity.