Newsletter: Winter 1993

[This] Roman sculpture - only 3 .5 cm. - is a miniature statuette of Herakles carved in blue chalcedony, a hard, semi-precious stone that only the most skilled craftsmen fashioned into luxury objects for an elite clientele. Herakles strides confidently forward, his head raised and his lion skin draped around his body; the lower legs are missing. The modeling of the body is strong and well defined, but without the exaggerated musculature with which Herakles is often represented. The high polish of the surface creates gleaming highlights that enhance the modeling and add sparkle to the translucent, milky blue stone. Chalcedony statuettes are exceedingly rare, and fewer still can compete with the high quality of the Museum's Herakles, which takes its place as one of the masterpieces of ancient gem carving.