gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, Duke of Marlborough collection, Florence, Vienna, Duke of Orleans

Sinkankas: In this valuable critique, Reinach provides short studies of the collections and the associated major published engraved gem works, as noted in the title above, along with remarks on the histories of the collections, their subsequent fates or dispersals, etc., supplemented by catalogs of the major gems in each and plates to illustrate same. The latter are reproduced from illustrations of the original publications. All in all, a most useful summary of the works in question, many of which may not be readily accessible to students of engraved gems. Reinach criticizes each work and provides useful additional detail which he has been able to unearth from other sources, thus providing a fund of knowledge which would be difficult to match elsewhere, at least insofar as the specific works named above are concerned. One chapter treats each of the following: the Vienna collection by Eckhel, pp. 1–9, the gems in Florence by Gori, 10–71, De Gravelle’s work, 73–83, Mariette’s famous treatise, 85–110, the Marlborough gems, 111–21, Millin’s book, 123–30, the Duke of Orleans collection, 131–45, and, lastly, the Stosch gems, 147–84. The plates are good where the originals were engraved in line, but only fair where a photograph was used. The frontispiece is excellent. Abundantly footnoted.