ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Intaglio Gem Depicting Cupid Bound
CultureRoman
PeriodImperial
Date1st Century CE
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin
Dimensions3/8 x 1/2 x 1/8 in. (1 x 1.3 x 0.3 cm)
Object number2012.032.025
Label TextA popular series of gem motifs show the punishment of Cupid, the boyish god of love, rendered helpless and harmless with his bow and arrows removed and hands tied behind his back. Here, he is also accompanied by a butterfly, symbolizing the soul. The imagery relates to Hellenistic Greek poetry, which delights in the god’s punishment as retribution for the suffering he inflicts on lovers. But in the Roman world, poets often likened being in love to a form of enslavement, so that images of Cupid’s punishment also embodied the tortures of desire itself and may even have been used as charms to bind the wearer to their lover.Exhibition HistoryMaking an Impression: The Art and Craft of Ancient Engraved Gemstones, Michael C. Carlos Museum, August 27 - November 27, 2022
ProvenanceSaid to be ex coll. Prof. Herschel Parker, New York, ca. early 20th Century. Said to be ex coll. Dr. Richard H. Swift (1894-1974), Los Angeles, California, ca. 1940s-1950s, may have been purchased from Tiffany & Co. Ex coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, purchased from Joel Malter (1931-2006) [Joel L. Malter & Co., Inc.], Los Angeles, California, 1971.
Status
Not on viewCollections
- Greek and Roman Art
mid to late 2nd century CE
5th Century BCE
1st-2nd Century CE
2nd Century CE
18th Century
