Roman 20K Gold Ring w/ Carnelian Intaglio Bacchus

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd century CE. A delightful gold ring, its size suggesting that it was made for a precocious child or woman with tiny hands, featuring an exquisitely incised oval carnelian intaglio depicting Bacchus (Greek Dionysos, also Dionysus) - god of wine, fertility, and agriculture - striding right and holding a bunch of grapes in the hand extended before him and a cloak draped over the arm extended behind. The contiguous shank and bezel are comprised of hammered gold sheet that is 83% gold, equivalent to 20K. The carnelian is inherently brilliant, presenting bright orange hues. Size: 0.5" W (1.3 cm) Size: 0.5" W (1.3 cm); gold quality: 83% gold, equivalent to 20K; total weight: 1.5 grams.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-American collection, 1980s to 2000s; ex-Frances Artuner collection, Belgium, collected in the 1960s

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#142711
Condition Report: Slight bending to form. Intaglio is beautifully preserved. Ring is too small to be measured with our ring sizer.