Portrait of Luigi Sommariva

After a composition by Robert Jacques Louis Lefévre French

citrine 1820, gold suspension loop probably contemporary with intaglio

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 554

This precious piece of pale yellow citrine is cut as an oval cabochon. Into the back, Giovanni Beltrami engraved a small version of Robert Lefèvre’s oil portrait of Luigi Sommariva, son of Count Giovanni Battista Sommariva, who commissioned this work and the cut rock crystal nearby.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Portrait of Luigi Sommariva
Maker: Giovanni Beltrami (Italian, Cremona 1770 or 1777–1854 Cremona)
Artist: After a composition by Robert Jacques Louis Lefévre (French, Bayeux 1785–1830)
Date: citrine 1820, gold suspension loop probably contemporary with intaglio
Culture: Italian
Medium: Engraved citrine in a gold suspension loop
Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 2 1/4 × 1 3/4 × 5/8 in. (5.7 × 4.5 × 1.5 cm)
Classification: Lapidary Work
Credit Line: Purchase, The Isaacson-Draper Foundation Gift, 2016
Object Number: 2016.488
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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