LARGE AND RARE ROMAN INTAIL. AMPHORA WITH ANIMAL MOTIFS. Banded agate. Dimensions: 1.5 x 2.2 x 0.3 cm Roman art, 1st century Provenance French private collection, acquired on the art market, prior to 2000 A large oval-shaped intaglio carved from banded agate, whose brown, white and grey strata run across the surface in parallel bands. It depicts a covered ornamental urn, viewed from the front: the domed, fluted lid is crowned with a fleur-de-lis; two tall, volute-shaped handles frame the neck; the fluted shoulder surmounts a body bearing, as a frieze, two facing cocks rendered in the style of an antique relief; the lower section, fluted, rests on a short pedestal and a stepped plinth. The composition, monumental despite its scale, is enhanced by the natural veining of the stone. Signs of wear on the surface of the stone. For similar intaglios depicting amphorae with animal motifs, see the British Museum, 1814,0704.2668.1; 1814,0704.2683.1; 1814,0704.2678.1; 1814,0704.2688.1; 1814,0704.2673 (fig. 1) A Roman large striated agate intaglio. Vase and roosters. 1st century AD.