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| Ancient Roman Gemcutter Diomedes and Odysseus (the Felix Gem) 1st century AD sardonyx intaglio (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Ashmolean Museum, Oxford |
In the 1460s Pope Paul II owned the Felix Gem. His inventory rated it as the most valuable object he possessed. In time it passed to the Gonzaga court where Andrea Mantegna is known to have studied and copied the figures. Late in the 1630s a dealer named Daniel Nys came to London and offered King Charles a rich "cabinet of gems" said to derive from the Gonzaga collection and including the Felix Gem. Charles balked at the price, but Lord Arundel did not. He reportedly paid £10,000 for this group of 263 cameos and intaglios, both ancient and modern. Difficult as it is to compare money-values across centuries, several sources estimate that in the early 17th century £1 had the buying power of at least $100 today. By that measure Arundel's purchase-price for the gems in modern currency works out tidily to about $1,000,000.
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| Ancient Greek Gemcutter Satyr with Grapes 2nd century BC garnet intaglio (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
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| Ancient Roman Gemcutter Augustus AD 41-54 sardonyx cameo (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Ancient Roman Gemcutter Cupids erecting a Trophy 1st century BC onyx cameo (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
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| Ancient Roman Gemcutter Bust of Apollo 1st century BC - 1st century AD sardonyx cameo (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
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| Ancient Roman Gemcutter Head of Cicero 50 BC carnelian intaglio (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
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| Anonymous Italian Gemcutter Death of Meleager late 16th century shell cameo (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
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| Ancient Roman Gemcutter Young Satyr supporting Silenus 1st century BC - 1st century AD sardonyx cameo (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
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| Ancient Roman Gemcutter Hermaphroditus 1st century BC sardonyx cameo (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
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| Ancient Roman Gemcutter Woman and Child 1st century BC sardonyx cameo (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
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| Ancient Roman Gemcutter Aurora driving Chariot 1st century BC - 1st century AD sardonyx cameo (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
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| Anonymous European Gemcutter One of the Horae early 17th century carnelian intaglio (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
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| Anonymous Italian Gemcutter Germanicus and Agrippina early 17th century onyx cameo (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Anonymous Italian Gemcutter Marcus Aurelius and Faustina early 17th century onyx cameo (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Anonymous Italian Gemcutter Two Satyrs and Cupid 16th century carnelian intaglio (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
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| Ancient Roman Gemcutter Wedding of Cupid and Psyche 50-25 BC onyx cameo (formerly in the Arundel Collection) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
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| Bernard Picart Antique Gem with The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche (formerly in the Arundel Collection, as noted on the engraving) 1719 engraving Philadelphia Museum of Art |