ROMAN GOLD AND GARNET INTAGLIO RING WITH BEAST

Ca. 100-300 AD. Roman. A beautiful gold ring featuring a circular band, flared shoulders, and a large oval bezel set with a garnet gemstone featuring a finely incised intaglio depicting a beast in left profile. Excellent condition. The item has undergone X-ray fluorescence analysis to confirm the metallurgical content suggesting its ancient origin and lack of modern trace elements. It also comes with a gemological and historical report by an independent specialist Anna Rogers. Roman rings featuring carved gemstones, such as carnelian, garnet or chalcedony, were often engraved with the depiction of deities, allegories and zoomorphic creatures. Mythology and Roman history were used as a repertoire of decorative themes. To find out more about Roman rings and jewellery production in general, see Higgins, R. (1980). Greek and Roman jewellery. London: Methuen.Size: D: 17.1mm / US: 6 3/4 / UK: N 1/2; 4.4g. Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquire on the UK/European art market in the 1980s.