Neoclassical Glass Paste Intaglio Brooch, After an intaglio by Luigi Pichler (Italian, 1773–1854)

An important neoclassical glass paste intaglio, derived from a celebrated amethyst intaglio by Luigi Pichler, one of the most distinguished gem engravers active in Rome at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The composition depicts Oedipus implored by his daughters to return to Thebes, a subject drawn from classical antiquity and executed with remarkable precision and compositional balance. The model derives from an intaglio by Luigi Pichler, itself a variation of an earlier prototype by Antonio Pichler, as documented in Lucia Pirzio Biroli Stefanelli, La collezione Paoletti, vol. II. 

The original drawing by Anton Raphael Mengs on which the composition is based was sold at Sotheby’s in 2013 and subsequently acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, further anchoring the subject within an established neoclassical visual tradition.

This rare and highly collectible example of neoclassical glyptic art is mounted as a discreet modern gold brooch, allowing the intaglio to be appreciated both as an object of scholarly interest and as an elegant wearable work of art. 

Dimensions: 32 × 26 × 6 mm
Metal: 10ct gold
Weight: 8.12 g
Style: Neoclassical
Period: Late 18th century
Date of Manufacture: Intaglio, late 18th century / brooch mount, 21st century
Condition: Excellent