Two Tritons

Unknown

late 18th century · Onyx fragment and gold · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This cameo reproduces the lower right section of an ancient onyx (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna) that allegorizes Octavian’s naval victory over the forces of Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C. Evoking antiquity in tantalizing fragmentary form, it was apparently conceived as a deliberate forgery.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 18th century

Medium

Onyx fragment and gold

Culture

probably Italian

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Milton Weil Collection, 1940