Intaglio Gem Depicting an Armed Aphrodite

AAT Object Techniqueintaglios (sculptural objects)

AAT Object Form/Functionfigures (representations)

AAT Object Techniquegems (worked stones)

CultureGreek, Ptolemaic

PeriodRoman

Date1st Century BCE

MediumGarnet group, almandine

Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin

Dimensions9/16 x 7/16 x 3/16 in. (1.5 x 1.1 x 0.4 cm)

Object number2012.032.015

Label TextKnown as Venus Victrix (‘Bringer of Victory’), the image of a semi-nude Venus holding a helmet and spear with a shield at her feet and her drapery slung low around her thighs was deployed on coins and as a personal seal device by Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) (Cassius Dio 43.43). Promoting his claimed descent from the goddess and demonstrating her support for his cause, the motif was widely replicated on gems, presumably by those wanting to express allegiance to the Julian family. This Venus, however, holds a theater mask instead of a helmet. This suggests that donning armor was akin to assuming a character, and on an intaglio perhaps hints at how putting on a gem could also be a means of protecting and projecting identity.
Exhibition HistoryMaking an Impression: The Art and Craft of Ancient Engraved Gemstones, Michael C. Carlos Museum, August 27 - November 27, 2022
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, November 7, 2023 - Present
Published ReferencesGorny & Mosch, Kunst der Antike, Auktion 140 (21. Juni 2005), 80-81, lot 197.

ProvenanceEx coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, purchased from Gorny & Mosch, Munich, Germany, Auktion 140, June 21, 2005, lot 197.

Status

On view

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