Ancient Roman Iron Ring Bezel with Carnelian Intaglio of a Horse

£700.00

A fine Ancient Roman iron ring bezel featuring a carnelian intaglio with an engraved depiction of a horse. The metal frames the inlay and extends to rounded shoulders, beyond which the loop has broken off in antiquity, as such only the bezel remains. The intaglio itself is oval in shape, horizontally situated, and of a rich, dark orange colouration. The obverse is gently convex, and the engraving is intricately rendered. The horse is depicted standing with its head leaning downwards towards the ground. Delicate incisions detail the texture of the body, as well as the legs, hooves, mane and tail. There is an excellent grasp of anatomy, shown through the detail to the horse’s musculature and facial features, including the ears and a round eye, which conveys a naturalistic bearing. Earthy encrustations features across the iron, and some minor scratches encrustations to the surface of the intaglio.

Date: Circa 1st-3rd Century AD
Condition: Earthy encrustations and tarnishing to the metal. Half of the ring loop is lost. The intaglio is excellently preserved.

In stock

SKU: KW-116 Category: Tags: , ,

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.

During the Roman Empire, horses were extremely important for battle, as well as for aspects of everyday life, such as transportation, hunting, farming, and chariot racing. The Romans associated the horse with the spoils of war, connecting it symbolically with power, victory, honour, domination, and virility. In Graeco-Roman mythology and culture, the horse was said to have been created by Poseidon (Neptune) and devoted to Hades (Pluto) and Ares (Mars). The Romans also believed the horse to be a symbol of the continuity of life, and would sacrifice a horse to the god Mars every October, keeping its tail through the winter as a sign of fertility and rebirth.

To find out more about intaglios, please visit our relevant blog post: Engraved Gemstones in Ancient Rome.

Weight 4.47 g
Dimensions L 2.5 x W 1.3 x H 1.3 cm
Culture

Region

Metal

Semi-Precious Stones

Reference: For a similar intaglio,The Art Institute of Chicago, item 1986.898

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