MILAN
Cybele / Ariadne (?)
Cameo: 16th c.; Mount: early 18th c.RCIN 43773
Cameo of a full-length female figure, naked and seated in a chariot drawn by two lions. She is accompanied by several putti, one of which flutters above, holding a laurel wreath.
The scene is based on motifs from Roman reliefs reintroduced during the Italian Renaissance. The figure may be Ariadne, consort of Dionysus. Alternatively, she may represent Cybele, the earth mother, although she is usually shown draped.
Text adapted from Ancient and Modern Gems and Jewels in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, London, 2008