Lot 134A
Roman, Imperial period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A solid Roman silver ring set with a warm carnelian intaglio carved with a lively scene of a rearing goat stretching upward to nibble fruit from a slender tree. The image is compact yet animated, the animal caught mid-motion with raised forelegs and arched neck, a small drama of hunger and effort rendered in crisp, economical lines. Carnelian was favored in Roman glyptic art for its durability and rich color, well suited to repeated wear and sealing. The goat, long associated with fertility, abundance, and rustic vitality, appears frequently in Roman iconography, sometimes linked to pastoral ideals, Dionysian symbolism, or the pleasures and perils of excess. The tree, offering fruit just out of reach, adds a note of tension and wit. Size of intaglio: 0.5" L x 0.4" W (1.3 cm x 1 cm); of ring: 1.1" L x 1" W (2.8 cm x 2.5 cm); US ring size: 6; silver quality: 99.9%; weight: 13.6 grams
The silver hoop is thick and smoothly finished, tapering subtly toward the shoulders where the bezel rises to frame the oval stone. Wear to the metal and softening of the engraved lines attest to long use, suggesting the ring functioned both as personal ornament and as a signet. Intimate in scale yet rich in meaning, this ring captures the Roman taste for narrative imagery distilled into a form meant to travel everywhere with its owner.
Please note that the ovoid shape of the band may cause the listed US ring size to vary slightly from standard circular sizing.
Provenance: ex-T.F. Holy Lands collection, formed since the 1960s; ex-London art market, 1990s
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#193211
- Condition: Professionally repaired with break line visible. Some weathering to surface with pitting, indentations, and nicks to silver. Otherwise, intaglio is impressively preserved with excellent detail and silver has slight patina. Wearable.
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| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
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| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |