ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Ring with Intaglio with Cupid Leaning on a Torch
CultureRoman
PeriodImperial
Date2nd Century CE
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin
Dimensions3/8 x 3/8 in. (1 x 1 cm)
Object number2008.031.117
Label TextCupid leans on an upturned torch placed on top of a low cylindrical altar. His legs are crossed and he leans his head on his upraised palm. Short groundline beneath. Four Greek ligatures in the field: AR-IS-EG-ON. Set in a twentieth-century gold hoop.Octagonal ringstones constitute a distinct class of late Roman gemstones that enjoyed limited popularity in the 2nd-3rd centuries AD. The type was likely produced in central Turkey.
Exhibition HistoryMonsters, Demons & Winged Beasts: Composite Creatures in the Ancient World, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 5 - June 19, 2011
Published ReferencesChristie's New York, Ancient Jewelry (December 7, 2006), 42-43, lot 276.
Andew Goldman, "The Octagonal Gemstones from Gordion: Observations and Interpretations," Anatolian Studies 64 (2014), catalogue number G40.
ProvenanceEx private collection, New York, New York, acquired from Small Pleasures, Provincetown, Massachusetts, 2006. Ex coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, purchased from Christie's New York, December 7, 2006, lot 276.
InscribedAR-IS-EG-ON
Status
Not on view
3rd Century CE
3rd Century CE
mid to late 2nd century CE
late 1st Century BCE-early 1st Century CE
late 1st Century BCE-early 1st Century CE
2nd Century CE
1st-2nd Century CE
late 5th-4th Century BCE
mid 1st-2nd Century CE
