Caption:
Sphinx. Culture: Italian. Dimensions: Overall: 2 3/16 x 2 9/16 in. (5.6 x 6.5 cm); 55.6 x 65.3 x 8.5 mm. Date: 18th century, with expert later repairs.
Sphinxes all'antica, like Medusa heads, were enigmas often invoked in Neoclassical decorative arts. Someone took pains to preserve this piece after it broke, expertly repairing it with closely matched stone, then gluing it to a glass backing that has since been removed from the quartz ground layer.