Solon's gem of Apollo (left) and this engraving representing his famed gem known as the Strozzi Medusa (right) reveal the carver's precise, refined portrait style.

Apollo, attributed to Solon, 30–20 B.C. Fragmentary amethyst intaglio repaired and set in a modern gold mount, 1 5/16 x 1 3/16 in. The J. Paul Getty Museum. Gift of Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman

The Strozzi Medusa by Solon (detail), Bernard Picart, engraving in Baron Philipp von Stosch, Pierres antiques gravées, sur lesquelles les graveurs ont mis leurs noms...) (Ancient Engraved Gems, on Which Carvers Have Inscribed Their Names...), Amsterdam, 1724. Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, 81-B171