Intaglio Seal - Hope with Anchor
Production date
Pre 1790
Country
Australia
State/Province
Queensland
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Object detail
Description
Oval-shaped gem made from agate mineral with an incised depiction of a female figure standing, clothed in Grecian-style drapery, with her left hand outstretched and her right hand rested on an anchor. The gem itself is marbled with orange-red and white colouring, and there is evidence of a frame (MA8054) having been adhered and detached along its edge.
Classification
ARCHAEOLOGY Maritime Archaeology
EXPLORATION Maritime British
EXPLORATION Maritime British
Maker
Production date
Pre 1790
Production place
Measurements
Dimensions: 21 x 14 x 2 mm
Weight: 3 g
Weight: 3 g
Media/Materials description
Gemstone (Agate)
History and use
This intaglio was recovered from HMS Pandora, a naval vessel sent from England in 1790 in pursuit of the HMS Bounty and its mutineers that wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef in 1791 on its return voyage. The Pandora shipwreck was discovered in 1977, and Queensland Museum conducted archaeological expeditions between 1983 and 1999 recovering many artefacts.
The intaglio probably belonged to one of Pandora's crewmembers as a keepsake or memento. Such objects were commonplace in 18th century Britain, following a revival of gem engraving and reproduction across Europe that saw artisans emulate these objects from antiquity. The imagery depicts Hope personified with the early Christian motif of the anchor, and she appears as an allegory. The symbolism is rather apt in the context of Pandora, representing the crew's hope to find the Bounty mutineers at sea and return home to England safely from across the globe.
The intaglio is on permanent display in the HMS Pandora Gallery at the Museum of Tropical Queensland, Townsville.
The intaglio probably belonged to one of Pandora's crewmembers as a keepsake or memento. Such objects were commonplace in 18th century Britain, following a revival of gem engraving and reproduction across Europe that saw artisans emulate these objects from antiquity. The imagery depicts Hope personified with the early Christian motif of the anchor, and she appears as an allegory. The symbolism is rather apt in the context of Pandora, representing the crew's hope to find the Bounty mutineers at sea and return home to England safely from across the globe.
The intaglio is on permanent display in the HMS Pandora Gallery at the Museum of Tropical Queensland, Townsville.
Registration number
MA7903
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