Intaglio with Trajan's hexagon and a statue

Presumably used in Portus. English private collection, before 1970. Sold by Bertolami Fine Art in 2019.
Meas. 0.018 x 0.020 x 0.005. Agate.

From the auction catalogue: "The harbour structure is hexagonal in shape and is characterized by the entrance area from the sea by colonnaded and covered porticos (with a sixth-arched entrance), to continue with square buildings (warehouses) and two long colonnaded porticoes; the structure ends at the bottom with a temple characterized by columns and a double entablature register (interrupted by a sixth-arched niche). Inside, a statue of a divinity flanked on either side by two shields (?). Above, a star, perhaps referring to the reference star for the navigation routes. Three boats inside the harbour, engraved in detail (two ships have a mast and a closed sail, and there is the presence of the rudder, the rostrum and some sailors). Below, maritime allegorical emblem: two dolphins on the sides of a trident. Interesting variety of red-orange agate with small reddish inclusion and a whitish opaque band layer (in the lower half of the scene) to simulate the sea. Hexagonal shaped bezel. Signs of wear and chipping on the obverse side of the bezel".

Bertolami Fine Art (London, United Kingdom), auction catalogue July 3-9 2019 (backup). Idem Lotto 488 - Asta 66 - Parte II (backup). See also an interview with Gabriele Vangelli de Cresci.