Roman Bronze Mirror

Sardonyx cabochon with incuse bee to centre; set in a cell with flanking gold rosettes; hoop formed with three beaded wire bands and granule detailing; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 4.52 grams, 22.29 mm overall, 19.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q 1/2, USA 8 1/4, Europe 18.12, Japan 17)



Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market.

Appliqué with domed underside, legs drawn up beneath the arched body; incised fur and other detailing. 30.9 grams, 32 mm



Acquired by a Swiss family in the mid-1980s to late 1990s, thence by descent. Private collection, Switzerland, since the late 1990s.

D-section hoop, elliptical in plan, with raised oval bezel set with a jasper intaglio engraved with inverted Greek inscription 'IXΘYC' (ichthys, meaning 'fish"), a Greek acronym for 'Jesus Christ, Son of God; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 9.18 grams, 21.91 mm overall, 18.68 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O 1/2, USA 7 1/4, Europe 15.61, Japan 15)



Private collector, acquired in the early 1990s. Private collection, England.

The term ichthys is the equivalent of the ancient Greek: ixθus, ichthýs ('fish'), used by early Christians to refer to Jesus Christ. For this reason, the fish symbol was very common in the catacombs of Rome. In particular, the ichthys is one of the oldest Christian symbols that has come down to us. Used covertly by Christians to mask their faith from Roman persecutors, when a Christian encountered a stranger whose loyalty he needed to know, he would draw one of the arches that make up the ichthys in the sand. If the stranger completed the sign, the two individuals recognised each other as followers of Christ. The symbol was also drawn on the doors of the houses of Christian families. Its use spread in the 3rd century to personal effects such as the ring offered here.