Contemplatio gemmarum quarundam dactyliothecae Gorlaei, ante biennium & auctae, & illustratae
A 1697 catalogue of engraved classical gems from the Gorlaeus collection, written by Lorenz Beger and printed at Coloniae Brandenburgicae by Ulrich Liebpert for antiquarians and collectors of ancient stones. Its plates are small, framed and circular engravings of intaglio gems, showing mythological and everyday scenes in clean outline with minimal shading. A designer could draw on their compact roundel framing and their repeated figure poses, such as draped standing women and seated men, as models for medallions, seals or emblem-style badges.
