Roman Bronze Ring with Glass Intaglio of a Bull

£ 95.00

An Ancient Roman cast bronze finger ring, featuring a round shape, slightly expanding shoulders and an oval bezel set with a translucent glass intaglio. The intaglio is carved with an incredible fine depiction of a bovine, portrayed naturalistically in a recumbent position. The small size of such ring can be explained with the widespread practice of both Roman men and women to wear rings not only on all the fingers of both hands, but also on the knuckles. UK ring size C.

Date: Circa 1st-3rd Century AD
Condition: Fine, nice dark brown patina to the surface. Suitable for modern wear with care.

SOLD

SKU: FP-268 Category: Tags: , ,

The ancient Romans enjoyed wearing jewellery, especially rings, as a way to demonstrate their wealth and social status in the Roman society. Rings could have been modelled in gold, silver or bronze, and enriched by precious and semi-precious stones, or even glass, as seen on this fine example. The extremely sophisticated technique of engraving of gemstones, known as intaglio, was one of the most luxurious art forms in the Ancient World. Iconographies might have been driven by mythology, literature, theatre or simply everyday life. In Ancient Roman culture and religion, bulls and bovines were connected to different important myths and religious practices; notably in Mithraism religion, it was required to slaughter a bull, which became symbol of the religion itself.

Weight 3.8 g
Dimensions W 1.6 cm
Culture

Metal

Region

Reference: For a similar item, The British Museum 1872,0604.285