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Intaglio Jewelry :
Roman Seal Rings : Carnelian Roman Intaglio depicting a Sea Monster
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Carnelian Roman Intaglio depicting a Sea Monster - FJ.6191
Origin: Geresa/ Jordan
Circa: 100
AD
to 300
AD
Collection: Roman Seal Rings
Medium: Carnelian-Gold
$3,300.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
This intaglio is set in an 18 karat gold ring
Intaglios were one of the earliest forms of the decorative arts, dating as early as the fourth and third millennia BC in Mesopotamia and the Aegean Islands. The tools required for carving gems were simple: a wheel with a belt-drive and a set of drills. Abrasives were needed since the minerals used were too hard for a metal edge. In imperial Rome, members of the royal court and nobility often wore intaglios as seals or with the image of the emperor. Engravers often drew upon popular mythology as a suitable subject matter, and this very charming intaglio is a perfect example of this inventiveness. It shows a curious creature half-horse and half-fish, no doubt part of Poseidon’s vast underwater retinue. Underneath the sea monster is a very delicately carved dolphin; and above is a cornucopia or a horn like the ones Tritons (half-man, half-fish) were said to blow. This intaglio shows refinement and elegance; qualities shared by the person who chooses to wear such an unusual ring.
- (FJ.6191)
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