Flavio Sirletti (1683-1737) Italian, Rome, circa 1720

British private collection, 1755 (see Lippert below); 
Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough (1706-1758) or George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (1739-1817), Blenheim Palace Oxfordshire; 
thence by family descent to John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough (1822-1883), Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire;
David Bromilow, Bitteswell Hall, Lutterworth, until 1898;
by descent to Julia Harriet Mary Jary (née Bromilow);
Christie, Manson and Woods London, Catalogue of the Marlborough Gems: Being a Collection of Works in Cameo and Intaglio Formed by George, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, 27 June 1899, lot 53;

F. Vettori, Dissertatio glyptogragphica.., Rome, 1739, p. 93;
A. Guilanelli, Memorie degli intagliatori moderni in pietre dure, cammei…, Livorno, 1753, p. 61;
P.J. Mariette, Traite des Pierres Gravees, vol I, Paris, 1750, p. 140;
P. D. Lippert, Dactyliotheca Universalis signorum exemplis nitidis redditae, Leipzig, 1755-1762, p. 5 , no. 60;
M. Dolce, Descrizione Istorica del Museo di Cristiano Dehn dedicata alla Regia Società degli Antiquari di Londra per l'Abate Francesco Mario Dolce, 1772, p. 37, no. D23;
J. Tassie and R. E. Raspe, A Descriptive Catalogue of a General Collection of Ancient and Modern Engraved Gems, Cameos and Intaglios, Taken from the Most Celebrated Cabinets in Europe; and Cast in Coloured Pastes, White Enamel, and Sulphur, London, 1791, p. 201, no. 2878;
L.P. Biroli Stefanelli, La Collezione Paoletti II, 2010, p. 305, VIII, no. 298;
M. H. Story-Maskelyne, The Marlborough Gems, London, 1870, p. 9, no. 53;
J. Boardman, D. Scarisbrick, C. Wagner and E. Zwierlein-Diehl, The Marlborough Gems. Formerly at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, Oxford, 2009, p. 258, no. 605:
D. Scarisbrick, C. Wagner and J. Boardman , The Beverley Collection of Gems at Alnwick Castle, 2016, p. 208, no. 194

Overall, the condition of the gem is very good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are very minor surface abrasions to the flat surface. There are some dirt residues in the intaglio, including to the face. The incision work is superb, and the stone would benefit from a light professional cleaning. There are some very minor naturally occurring striations in the stone. The condition of the gold ring is good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface, including minor surface abrasions. There is particular dirt to the crevices on the reverse.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This accomplished intaglio, hitherto incompletely studied, was described by Story-Maskelyne in 1870 as very beautiful and fine. It has evidently been long admired since it also appears in the most eminent gem connoisseurs catalogues of the 18th Century. Firstly in Daniel Lippert, 1755, who was curator of the antique collection in Dresden and drawing master for Meissen. Secondly in Cristiano Dehn, 1772, who worked first as an assistant to Baron Stosch (Rome, circa 1728), before establishing himself independently in Florence and Rome. His collection of casts, much admired by Goethe and Winckelmann, were eventually purchased by Tassie, in whose catalogue the gem also appears in 1791. Dehn describes the gem as by Flavio Sirletti (1683- Rome, 1737), a renowned engraver of the period, and this is indeed confirmed by Vettori in 1739, repeated in Guilanelli and Mariette, who record that Sirletti reproduced the celebrated antique statues of Rome on gems, including the Apollo Belvedere, and for example, the Laocoön on amethyst for the Duke of Beaufort (Vatican Museum). Guilanelli (op. cit.) also states that it was the use of diamond pointed tool that enabled Sirletti to achieve such high quality representations. Since its discovery in the 15th century, the Apollo, installed in the Vatican, has remained the most revered and inspiring of ancient sculptures. In the 18th century, Winckelmann described it as ‘the most sublime of all the statues of antiquity’, considering it the greatest example of the Greek aesthetic. Another later 18th Century example is in the collection of Duke of Northumberland, Alnwick Castle (see Scarisbrick, 2016, op. cit.).