ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Intaglio Gem Depicting a Herdsman Milking a Goat
CultureRoman
PeriodImperial
Date3rd Century CE
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin
Dimensions3/8 x 7/16 x 1/8 in. (1 x 1.1 x 0.3 cm)
Object number2008.031.098
Label TextThe image of a shepherd milking a goat was relatively common on engraved gems, evoking a pastoral idyll often associated in Roman art with peaceful leisure-time. The motif seems to have been an especially popular choice for a small class of octagonal stones made during the later imperial period. The engraver of this gem, however, has reversed the heads of the herdsman and goat, producing a humorous pastiche of a conventional scene that must have delighted any viewer who looked closely enough at the stone.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 G48.
ProvenanceEx coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California.
InscribedA
Status
Not on viewCollections
- Greek and Roman Art
3rd Century CE
1st Century CE
1st Century BCE
1st Century CE
2nd Century CE
early 1st Century CE
late 1st Century BCE-1st Century CE
800-600 BCE
ca. 540 BCE
