Minerva, c.1600-1699. Italian. Banded agate: grey and white; open silver-gilt mount with suspension loop; 2.8 x 2.4 cm. First recorded in the Royal Collection in 1872. RCIN 65225. The Royal Collection © 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Cameo with a bust of Minerva, the Roman warrior goddess, wearing a helmet, in profile to the left, with drapery along the neckline.

The representation is based on ancient coins but the unrefined manner in which the stone is cut suggests a seventeenth century date.