Georgian Tassie intaglio ring in 18 carat gold depicting an idealised neoclassical head of perfect beauty, a young Dionysus.c.1800. The deep brown glass Tassie imitates a warm rich sardonyx and is Roman set, to a wide cigar band shank. Size 6. Head of bezel 2.5cms by 2cms. The model would have been after the bust of Dionysus in the Capitoline Rome. The face is turned to the right and the gaze is directed slightly downward. He has a thick mass of curly hair which is held back by a band, under which is barely visible an ivy crown, and falls in long locks to his shoulders. At the back of the head his hair is dressed in an elaborate knot.The work is a Roman copy of a fourth century BC original and dates to the time of Hadrian (117-138 AD).The sculpture is part of a group of works gifted to the City of Rome by Pio V after 1566. The idealised heads found in Neoclassical decoration were refined and reinterpreted by sculptors and cameo carvers from the late c18th throughout the early c19th. This model became popular in the late c18th. James Tassie (1735–1799) was a Scottish gem engraver and modeller. He is remembered for a particular style of miniature medallion heads, portraying the profiles of the rich and famous of Britain, and for making and selling large numbers of "Tassie casts" of engraved gems for collectors.
