ROMAN CARNELIAN INTAGLIO DEPICTING EPHEBE OR MERCURY IN GOLD RING

Ca. AD 50 - 200 A carnelian intaglio engraved with a standing youthful figure in a broad-brimmed hat, an ephebe or Mercury, shown in profile with the body slightly twisted, one arm bent and the other extended. The stone is set in a possibly later gold finger ring with a plain oval bezel, broad shoulders and a hoop of D-section. Size: D:18.75mm / US: 8 3/4 / UK: R; Weight: 12g. Provenance: Private London collection; previously part of a distinguished New York private collection, assembled between 1975 and 1995. The collection was documented and authenticated in the early 1990s by Dr. Jack Ogden and Barbara Deppert Lippitz, leading specialists in ancient jewellery. A significant number of objects from this collection were published in a professional catalogue, a copy of which is available upon request. For similar see: J. Bagot, El legado de Hefesto: A Memorial to a Private Collection of Ancient Rings and Glyptics, n. 234. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter..