Pomona with the cornucopia
Unknown Artist
ca. 1560
Medium
Onyx, gold, enamels, and pearls
Dimensions
Height: 3/4 in. (1.9 cm)
Classification
Lapidary Work-Gems
Culture
Italian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Milton Weil Collection, 1938
Accession Number
38.150.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the exquisite *Pomona with the Cornopia*, a diminutive masterpiece of Italian lapidary art from around 1560, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative collection. Carved from onyx and adorned with gold, vibrant enamels, and pearls this gem measures just 3/4 inch (1.9 cm) in height—small enough to wear as a pendant or adorn a collector's cabinet. It depicts Pomona, the Roman goddess of gardens, orchards, and fruitful abundance, gracefully holding the cornucopia, or horn of plenty, overflowing with the earth's bounty. Crafted during the Renaissance,...