ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Intaglio with Bust of Serapis
AAT Object Form/Functionbusts (general, figures)
AAT Object Techniqueintaglios (sculptural objects)
AAT Object Form/Functiongems (worked stones)
CultureRoman
PeriodImperial
Date1st-2nd Century CE
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin
Dimensions3/8 x 5/16 x 1/8 in. (1 x 0.8 x 0.3 cm)
Object number2008.031.071
Label TextBust of Zeus Serapis in profile. He has a full beard and shoulder-length, wavy hair bound with a fillet. He wears a mantle around his shoulders and a woven basket (modius) as a sign of fertility on the crown of his head. The motif echoes the appearance of the cult statue of Serapis in his temple in Alexandria. Worship of the god was popularised by Ptolemy I Soter and spread rapidly through the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
ProvenanceEx coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, purchased from Frank Sternberg AG, Zurich, Switzerland.
Status
Not on viewCollections
- Greek and Roman Art
1st Century BCE
mid 1st Century BCE
early 3rd Century CE
305-30 BCE
1st Century CE
1st Century BCE-1st Century CE
2nd-3rd Century CE
1st-3rd Century CE
2nd Century CE
