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Details

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.

Provenance

with Hotel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo, 2019.
Private collection, England.

Footnotes

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.

CONDITION

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AUCTIONS:

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LOT 0788

Large Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Ritual Scene

Sold for (Inc. bp): £572

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