Cameo showing contest between Athena and Poseidon

Cameo showing contest between Athena and Poseidon

The cameo is made of sardonyx agate, with a brown, non-translucent base and ivory-white figures. It depicts the dispute between Athena and Poseidon for the conquest of Attica at the time of the mythical king Cecropes. On the left, the god is shown in profile facing to the right; he is depicted naked, with a cloak draped over his left thigh. He rests his left foot on a rock, while he holds a long pole (a trident?) in his right hand and raises his left hand forwards. On the right, Athena, shown in profile facing left, with a draped garment and a crested helmet, holds her left hand on her hip, while in her right hand she holds the branch of a tree, probably an olive, against which she leans her spear, as a reminder of the motif of her victory over Poseidon: indeed, according to myth, King Cecrops swore that the Goddess had been the first to plant an olive tree in the ground of Athens. Completing the scene, behind Poseidon, there is a dolphin with a raised tail, and at the foot of the tree, a snake, symbolising Cecrops or Erittonio, whose head reaches Athena’s shield, situated behind the goddess. Under the line of the base shells, coral branches and flowers can be seen, as well as the initials of the craftsman who did the engraving, Pyrgoteles. In the exergue is the acronym recalling that the gem once belonged to the collection of Lorenzo de' Medici.