Head of Hercules with the lion's skin and bust of Omphale
Not on view
Gems carved on the back as well as the front became a specialty of sixteenth-century masters. Omphale, legendary queen of Lydia, was a mistress of Hercules. The zigzag of white that emerged in both sides of the grayish brown morsel of agate forcefully highlights both his lion skin and her veil.
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