Hercules brooch
Tassie glass intaglio, English 18th Century.
Set in 22k gold bezel, backed by silver,
Height: 1 3/4 inches.

Magnificent large glass intaglio with deep engraving of Hercules strangling the Nemean Lion, with a tiny signature visible behind him.  This glass gem was cast by Tassie, a Scotsman who perfected a method of reproducing carved gems in glass.  He produced copies of both ancient gems and the best works by contemporary gem engravers. This gem is cast from a gem carved by Givanni Pichler, who was from an Austrian family living in Rome that became the worlds greatest gem engraver. 

In mythology, this is a scene from one of Hercules's twelve labors, the Nemean Lion was a montrous lion terrorizing the area around the ancient city of Nemea whose hide was so tough that no man made blade could pierce thus rendering it indestructible. When Hercules could not slay with this weapons, he strangled it with his bare hands, then skinned it using its own claws since no knife could cut its skin. The skin of the Nemean Lion became one of Hercules's attributes, he is depicted wearing its head as a helmet, or sitting on the pelt, or with it draped over a shoulder.  Alexander the Great adopted the lion skin as one of his attributes copying Hercules and associating himself with this strongest of mortal men.