gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, shell, ancient gems, Rome, Greece, ancient jewelry, rings

King surveys collections of engraved gems and related works of glyptic art exhibited by the Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland in 1861. Published in three parts, the paper describes and comments upon ancient and later intaglios, cameos, seals, scarabs, and other engraved stones, considering their subjects, inscriptions, styles, techniques, materials, probable dates, and cultural origins. Drawing on King’s extensive knowledge of classical gems, the notices discuss specimens attributed to Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Egyptian, Gnostic, medieval, and later European traditions and identify a variety of gem materials used by ancient engravers. The paper is valuable both as a record of important nineteenth-century British collections and as evidence for contemporary approaches to the attribution, interpretation, and mineralogical identification of engraved gems.