Provenance:Private Collection, New York.Sotheby's, London, 8 July 1993, Lot 219.Published:M. Padgett, 'A Chalcedony Statuette of Herakles', in Record of the Art Museum of Princeton University, vol. 54, no. 1, 1995, p. 6, no. 17; pp. 9-10, figs. 10-11.E. Gagetti, Preziose sculture di età ellenistica e romana, Milan, 2006, p. 390, no. G166, pl. LXII.D. Del Bufalo, Precious Portraits: Small Precious Stone Sculptures of Imperial Rome, Turin, 2020, pp. 40, 93, no. 128.The myth of Ganymede, the Trojan youth abducted by Zeus in the guise of an eagle to serve as cupbearer to the gods, was a frequent theme in ancient Greek and Roman art, symbolizing divine beauty and favor. One notable depiction is the marble sculpture at Palazzo Grimani in Venice, capturing the dynamic drama of Ganymede’s ascension entwined in the powerful eagle’s embrace.This fragmentary statuette, carved from richly colored chalcedony, portrays a similar dynamic interaction between Ganymede and Zeus in his eagle form. Chalcedony, prized in antiquity for its translucence and sourced from regions such as Anatolia, was favored by Rome's elite patrons for detailed mythological scenes. Its diminutive scale suggests it was intended for private appreciation or adornment, reflecting the owner’s cultivated taste and status. The intricate carving, though fragmentary, indicates the skilled workmanship typical of the early Imperial period.

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