Featured Intaglio!

I wanted to share a recent find, which I am so very happy to have and pleased to share. It will be the beginning of a collection, I suspect. Photos are attached, below, and here is what I can tell you:

It is an agate, I believe, shaped as an oval and inscribed in Arabic. The writing on top of the long line (letter) through the center is the beginning of the fatiha, or the first verse of the Quran and a common opening prayer for Muslims. It reads (from right to left) B'ismi Allah al-rahman al-raheem, which means in the name of God the all merciful and all compassionate.

That is the easy part... I am still working on the rest of the translation, because my Arabic is sadly very rusty. I will continue to work on it (which is why there is tracing over some of the letters in white) and promise to post it when I am done.

Speaking of posting, I wasn't sure exactly where to post this; tribal did not seem correct and I am not sure if it belongs in jewelry. @Bronwen I read with interest your thread on cameos; perhaps this belongs there? @Any Jewelry do you have any insight?

I very much look forward to your observations, as always.

 

Because these carnelians/agates are made to be mounted in jewellery, I think it deserves a place in the Jewelry forum.

I always love these, I have a ca 1950 Persian ring set with a carnelian etched with what I believe to be the throne verse.

 

If you send it to me, I will take a crack at it. It may be some time, however...

 

I agree with AJ that Jewelry is the right forum but think this should remain a separate topic from Cameos. The question in my mind is whether it would be better to confine an intaglio thread (this could be the start of one) to intaglios with Arabic inscriptions, inscriptions of all types, such as the gnostic ones, etc., or open it up to intaglios of all types. You'll be the proprietor @GreekAntiques What type(s) of postings would you like to invite?

 

Wow. I am honored, @Bronwen, and somewhat overwhelmed! As you know, I am new-ish to the site and far less knowledgeable on many topics than a good number of you. However, I seem to know a little about a lot of things.

I would say that we should invite any intaglio-related postings. I would be willing to wager that we will not be inundated and, furthermore, I find so much interesting and useful information here that I would like to make it easy for interested parties to look up the information. Thoughts?

 

I have a few intaglios to post that I would like more info on. I took Arabic for a year in Libya but none of it has survived. Had to satisfy high school language requirement. So yes please Greek Antiques have a go!.

 

An Intaglio Thread is born! Yes, Lark, bring'em on. Are yours also engraved on carnelian/cornelian? I have read there is a legend that the Prophet (pbuh) had a ring with a carnelian stone, hence its use today.

 

I am fond of Roman glass that is meant to look like banded agate, although there are many in a green & blue combo that could never pass as a real stone. I would love to know the story behind these. I imagine some glass maker getting bored with all the brown/black & white, experimenting with brighter colors & having it be a big hit with customers.

From this

To this

I have a Pinterest board for them, just to give them some love:

https://www.pinterest.com/cameotimescom/ancient-banded-glass-intaglios/

 

@GreekAntiques For a real intaglio rabbit hole: Eyes Have It: Are These Intaglios the Same?

 

As photographed, this looks like red jasper rather than carnelian. Jasper is opaque; carnelian is translucent. Both are forms of chalcedony. I also don't see any signs of banding or other structure that would earn the designation 'agate.'

 

I'm sure as we go along many intaglios that get posted will be set as jewellery or in accessories such as fobs, so that seems to me like its natural home. I don't think @GreekAntiques would object?

 

Those banded pieces are beautiful. I have never seen anything like them before. I can't wait to see the Pinterest board.

I certainly don't have any objections, @Bronwen I like jewelry.

And as for my piece, it is translucent. I'll post another picture tomorrow, in daylight. But it is quite pale in color and more orange than red, which is why I thought it was agate rather than carnelian.

 

A few pieces of carnelian.

 

Carnelian/cornelian is what we call chalcedony that is orange - brownish orange. Darker, browner shades are called sard. Agate is chalcedony that has grown in layers. Some agates have layers of carnelian. There is no banding visible in the photos we have of your stone, so for now have to see it as carnelian, but not as agate.

If you provide a photo of the full inscription without any additions, I will see if I can get some help from a scholar in Islamic numismatics.

 

"Aqeeq" is the word I was trying to think of. And, now that I've got it, have to think it is "agate" (from the river Achate) by another name.

 

Thank you, @Bronwen That would be lovely. Here are two perspectives.

 

Thank you, too, @Hollyblue . Of course it is too late here now to take a picture in daylight, but here are two pictures with a flashlight. Which makes it look rather yellow, I now realize. Oh well.

 

Here is the reply I received to a request for translation or verse reference:

Surat al-ikhlas - 112
Vv1-3 (but with some omissions of text)
In the name of God the Merciful and Compassionate
Say:
The Everlasting, He has never had offspring, nor was He born, he does not have any companion

 

My first time looking at this discussion.
I don't think that I have any images to contribute. I used to have a couple of things that were inexpensive intaglio-like objects. 20th century items, and probably not worth discussion. I probably don't even have them anymore.

... But at least I've bumped the thread back up to the top.