ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Finger Ring with Intaglio Gem Depicting a Hand Pinching an Ear
CultureRoman
PeriodImperial
Date3rd Century CE
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin
DimensionsOverall (Stone): 1/2 × 7/16 × 1/4 in. (1.3 × 1.1 × 0.6 cm)
Hoop diameter (Internal): 3/4 in. (1.9 cm)
Overall (Ring): 13/16 × 7/8 × 3/4 in. (2.1 × 2.2 × 1.9 cm)
Object number2008.031.097
Label TextThe image of a hand pinching an ear was common in Roman art as a symbol of memory. Gems bearing the motif may have been given as love-tokens. On this example, a retrograde inscription in Greek reads: ME SPOUDAIOS ("Don't be in a rush"), not exhorting the viewer to remember their lover but to linger with them. Octagonal ringstones constitute a distinct class of late Roman gemstones that enjoyed limited popularity in the 2nd-4th centuries CE and may have been produced in central Turkey. The octagonal shape may have appealed to a specific clientele: early Christians associated the number eight with rebirth and new beginnings. Several examples have been recovered from military sites, suggested the gems were popular with soldiers.
Exhibition HistoryMaking an Impression: The Art and Craft of Ancient Engraved Gemstones, Michael C. Carlos Museum, August 27 - November 27, 2022
Published ReferencesAndew Goldman, "The Octagonal Gemstones from Gordion: Observations and Interpretations," Anatolian Studies 64 (2014), catalogue number G121.
ProvenanceEx coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, purchased from Gorny & Mosch, Munich, Germany, November 20, 1998.
InscribedMespou-daios
Status
Not on viewCollections
- Greek and Roman Art
3rd Century CE
3rd Century CE
2nd Century CE
mid to late 2nd century CE
early 1st Century CE
1st-2nd Century CE
second half 1st Century BCE
1st Century CE
