Italian, 16th century | Cameo with an Emperor, probably Galba

With Garrard & Co, London, first half 20th century (within a custom-made Garrard box)

This large and finely carved cameo is likely to represent the Emperor Galba (r. 68-69 AD). It may have been mounted on an object as part of a series of the Twelve Caesars. Compare 16th-century cameos depicting this emperor in the Museo degli Argenti, illustrated in R. Gennaioli, Le gemme dei Medici al Museo degli Argenti: Cammei e Intagli nelle collezioni di Palazzo Pitti, Florence and Milan, 2007, nos. 186 and 193.