Details

LOT 0170

Roman Aquamarine Gemstone with Portrait of Emperor Septimius Severus in Silver and Gold Ring

2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.

1 1/8 in. (18.89 grams, 28.88 mm overall, 21.34 mm internal diameter (approximate size British X 1/2, USA 11 3/4, Europe 26.92, Japan 25)).

With the bust of the emperor facing left, laurel wreath in his curly hair with ribbons falling behind his head, beard with characteristic forked tip, mounted in a large broad silver hoop widening to an oval bezel inset with a gold border.

Provenance

English private collection, 1980s-1990s.
with Christie's, London, 7 October 2010, no.204.
European private collection, acquired in 2010.

Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12609-234621.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Literature

Cf. coins with bust portraits of Septimius Severus from mints of Antiochia, Ancyra, Tavium, in Arslant, M., Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Roman Coins, Istanbul, 1992, pls.95-97, for parallels; Baydur, N., Roman Sikkeleri, Istanbul, 1998, figs.222 and 225; Marsden, A., Roman Coins found in Britain, Witham, 2001, p.23, fig.39; cf. also Richter, G.M.A., The engraved gems of the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans, part two: Engraved Gems of the Romans: A supplement to the History of Roman Art, London, 1971, nos. 572 ss; Volleinweider, M-L., Camées et Intailles. Les portraits romains du Cabinet des médailles, Paris, 2018, Tome II nos. 204 ss; for a recent work on the iconography of the Imperial family of the Severans see Petruccioli, G., The portraiture of Caracalla and Geta: form, context and function, Oxford, 2011.

Footnotes

Comparison with contemporary coinage confirms that this bust with its prominent nose, chin, curly hair and forked tip beard, represents Septimius Severus (193-211 A.D.), and the image certainly conveys the strong character of the commander who led the Roman army to victory, not only in Europe but also in the Middle East. A similar portrait can be seen on the cameo in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (accession no.99.368). In the Boston cameo the emperor is likewise seen in profile, facing right, and his beard, with the forked tip, is identical. Another good comparison is with the cameo of the Imperial family preserved at the Cabinet des Medailles, Paris (Petruccioli, 2011, fig.230). Cameos and rings of this typology were often gifted and gifted to members of the Imperial entourage, and were a great instrument of Imperial propaganda.