The term intaglio refers to a small image that has been engraved into a gemstone and usually set in a piece of jewellery, most commonly a ring. Such artistic form has its origin in Sumer in the 4th millennium BC, with the appearance of cylinder and stamp seals, whereby decorations and patterns were engraved into soft stones. During the Hellenistic period and the early Roman Empire, the art of intaglio reached its apogee, with there being a steady decline in craftsmanship in the late Imperial Rome, until a revival of interest with the Byzantine and during the Renaissance.
Fortuna, the daughter of Jupiter and Greek counterpart Tyche, is the goddess of good luck, fortune and prosperity. Her traditional attributes include the ship’s rudder, which was used to control fate, whether that be good or bad. Another includes the cornucopia, often represented by a horn which was endlessly overflowing with fruits and vegetables symbolising Fortuna’s attribute of many gifts of fortune. Fortuna’s cult was widespread across the Roman Empire, she was acknowledged publicly for the protection of the state but also privately for voyages and individual fates. Many would worship Fortuna on the 1st of January in the hope the goddess would bless the new year. She had many temples placed around the Empire and was worshipped by all including soldiers, low class, upper class and even the Emperor, each for individual prosperity and good fortune.
To find out more about intaglios and Roman goddesses, please visit our relevant blog posts: Engraved Gemstones in Ancient Rome and Roman Goddesses in Mythology.
