Sleeping shepherdess in a moonlit landscape
probably late 16th century
Medium
Agate
Dimensions
Overall: 3 1/16 x 2 9/16 x 3/8 in. (7.8 x 6.5 x 0.9 cm); 78 x 65.1 x 9.3 mm
Classification
Lapidary Work-Gems
Culture
Italian, Milan
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Milton Weil Collection, 1938
Accession Number
38.150.33
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the tranquil glow of a moonlit landscape, Alessandro Masnago's *Sleeping Shepherdess* captures a pastoral idyll on a remarkably small. Crafted probably in the late 16 century, this exquisite lapidary work from Milan depicts a reclining shepherdess dozing peacefully amid her flock of sheep and loyal dog. Measuring just 3 1/16 x 2 9/16 x 3/8 inches, the agate gem showcases the Milanese artist's mastery of hardstone carving, a technique demanding extraordinary precision and patience. Agate, prized for its layered translucency and durability, was a favored medium in Renaissance Italy for cameo...