antiquities,helios gallery, ancient Roman gold and agate ring

J16

Roman gold and agate ring

£2000

A hollow gold ring mounted with a banded agate intaglio engraved with the figure of a woman and child, the woman holds a rattle.

The scene is quite unusual: it shows a woman crouching towards an infant whom she holds in her left hand and in her right hand she holds a rattle.

The (sistrum) rattle was introduced from Egypt to Rome and associated with the cult of Isis which became very popular in the city before the Christian era, the sistrum was always held in the right hand according to Plutarch. However there is also a special type of Roman rattle associated with children which was known as a "crepitaculum"; presumably this is the one represented here.

This intaglio represents a rare and touching every-day scene of a mother playing with her child.

The stone is a brown agate with a milky white band crossing the centre horizontally.

Roman, 1st Century AD.

Intact.

Size: Max. width of intaglio: 1.3 cms , internal diameter of ring 1.5 cms

Ex. UK Private Collection.

www.heliosgallery.com

|Shopping cart |Mailing list |Home