Late 2nd-early 3rd century AD. A beautifully carved cameo in sardonyx, bone white on grey chalcedony, of a tip-toeing dancing girl playing the flutes, seen from behind, naked except for a garment fluttering around her; cut in very high relief, undercut all around and in perfect preservation; the back is left rough and only cursorily flattened. For an example of the composition see the Péronne, Danicourt collection, where the girl is playing a lyre instead of flutes, is labelled Terpsichore, the Muse of dancing; the gem (intaglio) examples of this and similar compositions were assembled in W. H. de Haan-van de Wiel & M. Maaskant-Kleibrink, Ma?nadentypen auf Gemmen’, Forschungen und Berichte 14 1972, 164-172, with Taf.19, this version on p.170f; to the six examples listed there should be added the Péronne intaglio, no.58 here: https://www.beazley.ox.ac.uk/gems/danicourt/heroes.htm.3.5 grams, 23mm (1"). Property of a London gentleman; formerly acquired before 1970; accompanied by a scholarly report by Dr Ittai Gradel, report number 155103.