IMPERIAL PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.

Name: A ROMAN SAPPHIRE RINGSTONE WITH EROS
Brand: IMPERIAL PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.
Price: 15000.00 USD
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised USD 18,900

Estimate

USD 1,000 - USD 2,000

Closed: 14 Apr 2022

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A ROMAN SAPPHIRE RINGSTONE WITH EROS

IMPERIAL PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.

Price Realised USD 18,900

Closed: 14 Apr 2022

Price Realised USD 18,900

Closed: 14 Apr 2022

Details Lot Essay Related Articles More from

³⁄₈ in. (1 cm.) long

Giorgio Sangiorgi (1886-1965), Rome, acquired and brought to Switzerland, late 1930s; thence by continuous descent to the current owner.

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Lot Essay

Engraved on this small ovoid ringstone is a profile bust of Eros, identifiable by his wings. His long wavy hair is bound in a fillet, with the ties falling onto his shoulders. In the field before him is a syrinx (Pan pipes).

Sapphires are fairly rare in Roman jewelry. Pale stones like the example presented here are thought to have originated in Sri Lanka, called Taprobanê by the Greeks and Romans (see p. 718 in M.S. Krzemnicki, et al., "Gemmological Analysis of a Roman Sappire Intaglio and Its Possible Origin," 36, no. 8).