ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Intaglio Gem Depicting a Teacher and Student
AAT Object Form/Functiongems (worked stones)
AAT Object Form/Functionfigures (representations)
AAT Object Techniqueintaglios (sculptural objects)
AAT Object Form/Functionrings (finger jewelry)
CultureRoman
PeriodImperial
Date1st Century CE
Credit LineGift of Beth Levine
DimensionsOverall (Gem): 1/2 × 3/8 × 13/16 in. (1.3 × 1 × 2.1 cm)
Object number2010.036.001
Label TextIn the Roman world, education was primarily reserved for the sons of the upper classes, although the daughters of Rome’s wealthiest sometimes received an education as well. This formal learning was modeled on the Greek system of paideia, and included instruction in Greek language, literature, and oratory, often from Greek tutors, who were sometimes enslaved. Here, a seated tutor, identified as Greek by his beard, encourages a male student as he recites from a scroll. The motif connotes status, privilege and wealth, rendered ideal by the figures’ nudity, and allows the wearer to present him- or herself as a member of the sophisticated, educated elite.Exhibition HistoryMaking an Impression: The Art and Craft of Ancient Engraved Gemstones, Michael C. Carlos Museum, August 27 - November 27, 2022
ProvenanceEx coll. Shani Kaplan (1926-2007), Atlanta, Georgia. Thence by descent.
Status
Not on viewCollections
- Greek and Roman Art
1939-1760 BCE
late 2nd Century CE
18th Century
2nd Century CE
20th Century
2nd-3rd Century CE
early 4th Century BCE
1st Century BCE
