Roman 23K Gold Ring | Engraved Palm Frond, Victory Symbol

Roman, Imperial period. A small finger ring of high-purity gold, tested at about 23 karats. The plain hoop, rounded on the outside, swells at the shoulders into a flattened, lozenge-shaped bezel incised with a single palm frond, its central rib flanked by diagonal strokes for the leaflets. In the Roman world the palm belonged to Victoria and to triumph, and it was given to winning athletes and charioteers. Here it likely served as a wish for good fortune. The very small size suggests the ring was made for a child or a slender finger, or worn on the little finger. The palm (palma) was one of the most widely understood emblems in Roman visual language. Winning gladiators, athletes, and charioteers received a palm branch along with their prize. The goddess Victoria is routinely shown holding one, and the motif appears constantly on imperial coinage. From the third century onward Christians took up the same branch as a sign of the martyr's triumph over death. For that reason a lone palm on a late Roman ring can be read in either a secular or a Christian sense, and the motif by itself does not settle which one. Item # 205333

Estimate:£565.16

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