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

A catalogue by Jean-Marie Dumersan of the antiquities, medals and engraved gems exhibited in the Cabinet des Médailles of the Bibliothèque du Roi in Paris. The work describes objects from the royal collection, including ancient coins, sculptures, antiquities, cameos and intaglios, and is illustrated with 42 plates. Of particular gemological and art-historical interest are the engraved stones, which are discussed as works of glyptic art and as evidence for classical iconography and antiquity. The volume is an important early nineteenth-century guide to one of Europe’s major collections of ancient engraved gems and documents the state of the French royal collection before its later reorganization as part of the Bibliothèque nationale.