Intaglio Gem Depicting a Lion Head

CultureRoman

PeriodImperial

Date3rd Century CE

MediumMicrocrystalline quartz, var. jasper (red)

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 number2008.031.099

Label TextOctagonal 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.

If octagonal gemstones were popular with the Roman army then the head of a lion was an appropriately aggressive motif that promoted the male wearer’s masculinity, perhaps even allowing him to imagine himself as Hercules wrestling the Nemean Lion while contemplating the ring on his finger.
Exhibition HistoryExuberance of Meaning: The Art Patronage of Catherine the Great (1762-1796), Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, Georgia, September 21, 2013 - January 5, 2014
Passion of the Empress: Catherine the Great's Art Patronage, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Washington, DC, February 15 - June 8, 2014
Making 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 G58.
Asen Kirin, Exuberance of Meaning: The Art Patronage of Catherine the Great (1762-1796) (Georgia: Georgia Museum of Art, 2013), 191, number 48 C.

ProvenanceEx coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, purchased from Jesus Vico, S.A., Madrid, Spain, November 4, 2004.

Status

Not on view

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