{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O195844"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O195844/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PK1684/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PK1684/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2025PK1684","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2025PK1685","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2025PK1686","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2025PK1683","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2025PK1682","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O195844/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O195844","accessionNumber":"A.4-1959","objectType":"Intaglio","titles":[{"title":"The Annunciation","type":"generic title"},{"title":"Cacus Stealing the Oxen from Hercules","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"This intaglio is double-sided, depicting a Christian scene on its upper (convex) side, and a tale from Greek mythology on its lower (flat) side. When the gem was acquired by the museum it was catalogued as Italian, with the reverse Greco-Roman engraving assumed ancient, whilst the obverse Christian engraving was thought to date from the fifteenth or sixteenth century. It is now believed that both engravings were probably produced sometime in Italy in the sixteenth century, as the compositions imitate source material (i.e. bronze reliefs and frescoes) from this period. Given that the style and subject matter of the engraving on both sides are quite clearly distinct from eachother, it seems likely that the stone was repurposed at an unknown date, possibly by a different contemporary gem engraver.\r\n\r\nThe front (convex side) of the intaglio depicts the Annunciation - the biblical episode when the Virgin is first told that she will bear the son of God. Between columns and a double arch, the Archangel Gabriel appears to the Virgin, who is kneeling before a prie-dieu. The Virgin turns her head to speak to the Angel. A lily in a vase stands in the centre. A dove in a halo – representing the Holy Spirit – flies down to the Virgin on the left. \r\n\r\nThe intaglio is made of bloodstone, also known as heliotrope. This stone is of great significance in the Christian faith as it was believed to have been formed at the Crucifixion when Christ’s blood fell on jasper, thus creating this deeply devotional material. There are other late Roman, medieval and Renaissance examples of intaglios in bloodstone depicting scenes associated with Christ’s birth and death (i.e. the Crucifixion and the Annunciation), demonstrating commonplace belief in the stone’s association with the sacrifice of Christ. The belief in the spiritual properties of bloodstone has been widespread since ancient times and it is likely that the owner of this gem believed it to have amuletic properties.  \r\n\r\nThe flat back of the intaglio depicts, in contrast to the front Christian scene, an episode from the life of the Greek hero Hercules. Hercules – identified by his lion’s skin cap and club – lies asleep in the foreground. Behind him, the giant Cacus pulls an ox backwards by its tail into a cave (just visible by the rocky boulders on the far right). Another ox and trees can be seen in the background. The intaglio visualises the moment when Cacus steals the cattle from a sleeping Hercules by pulling them backwards by their tails in the hope that this would obscure their trail. The plan does not work and Hercules eventually finds the giant, slays him and retrieves the oxen.  \n\nThe obverse engraved scene of Hercules and Cacus appears to be a copy after a bronze composition popularised by the artist known as Moderno in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Modernos’ bronze reliefs of Cacus and Hercules were produced in multiple copies and would have been well known in this period, so it is likely that the unknown gem engraver would have been familiar with the composition. Many examples of the same Moderno composition can be seen in museum collections, including a round version in the V&A collection (4478-1858) and rectangular copies in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (25.142.25), the National Gallery of Art (1984.73.2) and Museum of Fine Arts Budapest (6273). The extensive reproduction of this Moderno composition across different media – including a fresco by Francesco Casella  in the cloisters at Sant’Abbondio, Cremona – demonstrates its popularity. \r\n\r\nThe intaglio replicates Moderno’s composition almost identically, including the reclining position of Hercules with the raised knee and bent forearm, and the face of the ox appearing in the background. Given the limited space available, the gem engraver has simplified the design by removing much of the background landscape – including most of the caves and trees - and the finer details of the figures.\r\n\r\nThe intaglio depicts the scene in reverse to the Moderno design it copies; on the intaglio Hercules lies to the left, and Cacus stands to the left, whilst in Moderno’s version the opposite is the case. This reversal seems intentional given that intaglios were used as seals, and were therefore intended to be understood through the design they left impressed in wax. This is why many intaglios are carved in reverse (i.e. the opposite way in which they are meant to be viewed) and may appear odd to the naked eye. The engraved scenes could only be fully appreciated when pressed into a soft material, most often wax, leaving behind a raised impression of the composition.  The impression which would be left by this intaglio would show the scene as Moderno depicted it, with Hercules on the right and Cacus on the left. This further suggests that the gem is a copy after Moderno, therefore dating it to at least the early 16th century. \n\r\nNo ancient version of this specific composition is known, which also suggests that the intaglio is a copy after Moderno from the sixteenth century, rather than a product of antiquity, as was previously assumed. Interestingly the Hercules and Cacus scene imitates the engraving style of ancient Roman gems - such as in the rendering of the trees, boulders and figures - it it therefore possible that the engraver intended the classical scene to be regarded as a product of antiquity. \r\n\r\n (Last updated September 2025)\r\n","physicalDescription":"Bloodstone cameo with two different sides.\r\nObverse: a naked figure of a man approaches from the right towards an ox, which is standing behind a reclining naked figure of a man. The latter lies asleep on a ledge of rock. Behind the ox a cluster of trees.\r\nReverse: between columns and beneath a double arch, the Archangel Gabriel appears to the Virgin who is kneeling before a prie-dieu. The Virgin turns her head to speak to the Angel. A lily in a vase stands in the centre of the scene; on the left, above the prie-dieu, a dove in a halo. On the entablature an inscription.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"bloodstone","id":"AAT11138"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Bloodstone","categories":[{"text":"Christianity","id":"THES48978"},{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SCP","id":"THES48600"},"images":["2025PK1684","2025PK1685","2025PK1686","2025PK1683","2025PK1682"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"032","id":"THES395777"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"intaglio","id":"AAT186231"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"italy","id":"x28927"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"obverse"},{"place":{"text":"italy","id":"x28927"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"reverse"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1450-1600","earliest":"1450-01-01","latest":"1600-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Width","value":"33","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"approximate","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"28","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"approximate","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Exact dimensions obscured by setting","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'AVE MARIA GRA'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"Bequeathed by Miss M.F.T. Ready.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Intaglio, bloodstone, The Annunciation and Cacus Stealing the Oxen from Hercules. Italian, late 15th or 16th century.","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"late 15th or 16th century","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Gabriel","id":"N491"},{"text":"Virgin","id":"N4691"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"lily","id":"x43964"},{"text":"halo","id":"x35202"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["A.4-1959"],"accessionNumberNum":"4","accessionNumberPrefix":"A","accessionYear":1959,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-11-28","recordCreationDate":"2009-03-03","availableToBook":true}}