Poniatowski gems

19th-century collection of forgeries

The Poniatowski gems are a collection of over 2,600 engraved gems commissioned by Prince Stanisław Poniatowski (1754–1833), a wealthy Polish nobleman, and passed off by him as genuine classical pieces. By the time of his death in 1833 it was becoming clear to scholars that the gems were instead early 19th-century neoclassical forgeries. The gems in Poniatowski's collection were auctioned as authentic antiques in 1839, but the auction was a failure, and the surrounding controversy depressed collector interest in engraved gems for years afterward. The gems were scattered, and many have been lost or mislaid. Today they are appreciated as excellent examples of neoclassical gem carving.

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