Finger Ring with an Intaglio Gem Depicting a Portrait Bust of Plautilla

CultureRoman

PeriodSeveran

Dateca. 202-205 CE

MediumBeryl group, var. emerald; gold

Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin

DimensionsMaximum (stone): 1/2 × 7/16 in., 7/16 oz. (1.3 × 1.2 cm, 12.5 g) Hoop diameter: 3/4 in. (1.9 cm) Maximum (ring): 1 1/4 × 1 × 3/4 in. (3.1 × 2.5 × 1.9 cm)

Object number2012.032.033

Label TextAlthough the woman depicted on this intaglio is not named, aspects of her portrait help in her identification. Her coiffure is styled in softly radiating waves that emanate from a central part, framing the face and covering the ears before being twisted into a flat chignon at the nape of her neck. This hairstyle is known as the Nestfrisur, and was first worn by Plautilla (c. 185-211 CE), wife of emperor Caracalla (188-217 CE). The woman is also dressed modestly, with a mantle pulled over her neck and shoulders. Both hair and drapery find close parallels on coin portraits of Plautilla, as on a sestertius (sesterce) struck in Rome in c. 202-205 CE now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (acc. no. 58.1186).
Emerald, known in Latin as smaragdus, was much desired by elite Romans for its verdant color, which was associated with fertility and thought to have soothing properties (Pliny the Elder Natural History 37.65-75). Mined at Gebel Zabara and Wadi Sikeit in Egypt, the stone’s rarity and provenance enhanced its value, as did its relative hardness, which required skillful and, therefore, costly engraving. This made emerald the prerogative of the rich. Gold, too, was indicative of status: for centuries under the Republic, only Romans of senatorial rank were permitted to wear gold rings (ibid. 33.4), although the category expanded under the Empire with the growing wealth of Rome’s citizens (ibid. 33.32-33). The combination of emerald and gold was popular, especially in women’s jewellery (see cat. nos 120 and 125), suggesting how material choice could communicate gender as well as political rank or economic status.
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 ReferencesChristie's New York, Ancient Jewelry (December 6, 2007), 83, lot 454.
Asen Kirin, Exuberance of Meaning: The Art Patronage of Catherine the Great (1762-1796) (Georgia: Georgia Museum of Art, 2013), 190, number 47.

Lisbet Thoresen. Archaeogemmology and Ancient Literary Sources on Gems and Their Origins. in Gemstones in the First Millennium AD: Mines, Trade, Workshops, and Symbolism (proceedings of conference held October 20th - 22nd, 2015). Alexandra Hilgner, Susanne Greiff, and Dieter Quast (eds). Roman-Germanic Central Museum. Mainz: 2017. pp. 186-187, fig 15.

ProvenanceEx private collection, Europe, 1978. Ex coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, purchased from Christie's New York, sale 1914, December 6, 2007, lot 454.

Status

Not on view

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