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LOT 0788
Large Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Ritual Scene
3RD CENTURY A.D.
1 1/8 in. (6.65 grams, 29 mm).
Dense figural scene comprising: left, three seated figures in profile, each with spear or staff in one hand and a raised sword in the other; resting hound below the seats, scorpion above; baseline with two arrows in exergue; standing figure advancing, holding an axe above a smaller figure crouching in submission; quiver and bow to the right; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
Provenancewith Hotel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo, 2019.
Private collection, England.
The presentation has many of the qualities of an initiation ritual with a group elders sitting in witness and an officiant testing the courage of the initiand.
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AUCTIONS:
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The vessel's shape is a simplified version of a cup decorated with a zigzag line. This is characteristic of Palestinian workshops. Two similar vessels, similar to this one, have been found in Palestine: one in Beit Fajjar, dating to the late 3rd-4th century CE, the other in an unidentified location. -
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Slender hoop with sloping shoulder, inset carnelian intaglio of Minerva standing wearing a floor-length robe; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 5.34 grams, 22.19 mm overall, 17.92 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)
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