The ancient Romans considered jewellery to be an essential accessory, for it provided a public display of their wealth. Rings were extremely popular in Roman society, and they often appear embellished with finely engraved intaglios, such as this beautiful example, portraying Cupid. In Roman mythology and culture, Cupid was the son of Venus, and was associated with love, desire and affection. He is generally depicted as a winged youth or child.
To find out more about intaglios, please visit our relevant blog post: Engraved Gemstones in Ancient Rome.