3 Roman Carnelian & Jasper Intaglios - Eagle, Hare, & Minerva

Roman, Imperial period. A trio of miniature engraved gemstones, each a hand-sized world compressed into a few millimeters of polished stone. The largest, a warm orange-red carnelian, carries a perched eagle grasping something in its beak, the bird of Jupiter and the standard-bearer of the legions. The mid-size carnelian presents a crouching hare or rabbit, an emblem of fertility and abundance, and a favorite of Roman gem cutters for its compact silhouette. The smallest, worked in dark jasper, shows Minerva helmeted and robed, standing with shield and spear in the canonical armed pose of the goddess of wisdom and strategic war. All three are convex-faced ring stones, intended for setting into finger rings and pressed into wax or clay to seal correspondence, mark ownership, and identify their bearers. Engraved gems were the personal signature of the Roman world. A seal impressed into wax authenticated a letter, a will, a warehouse door, and Roman law treated its violation seriously; Pliny the Elder in the Natural History grumbled that the ring had become the instrument by which men's fortunes were bound. Subjects were chosen with care. The eagle answered to Jupiter and to imperial and military authority, and a hare or rabbit signaled fecundity, good fortune, and swiftness. Minerva armed with helmet, shield, and spear, the Athena Promachos type inherited from Greek models, spoke to the owner's claim on wisdom, craft, and disciplined war.\n\nCarnelian dominated the Roman gem trade because its hardness held fine intaglio work and its slightly waxy surface released warm sealing wax cleanly. Jasper, particularly in dark red and green varieties, grew popular in the second and third centuries CE and often carries the more schematic, deeply cut figural style seen on later Imperial gems. Item # 204643

Estimate:£339.09

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