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LOT 0167
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Asclepius
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (0.69 grams, 12 mm).
The oval intaglio engraved with Asclepius standing with head turned to the right, naked upper body, himation draped around his lower body, holding a caduceus with his right hand.
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Important North West London collection.
Cf. for similar Nardelli, B., 'Late Roman Gems from Tilurium in Croatia' in Entwistle, C., Adams, N., Gems of Heaven, recent research on engraved Gemstones in Late Antiquity, c. AD 200-600, London, 2011, pp.130-134, pl.3.
FootnotesAesclepius (Latin Esculapius) was the god of the health and protector of doctors. The serpent‐wreathed rod is well detailed, a rendition which finds a direct parallel in a carnelian intaglio in Carnuntum, Austria.
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LOT 0167
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Asclepius
Estimate £600 - 800€700 - 930 (for guidance only)$810 - 1,080 (for guidance only)
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Roman and Later Bronze Artefact Group
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Comprising various figures and mounts including: a sheep, a fly, a peacock, an anthropomorphic head, a mount with a lying feline and a crouching figure. 94 grams total, 18-40 mm
Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a Ruislip, UK, gentleman, by inheritance.
In the art of late antiquity and early Christianity, during the Christian Middle Ages to the present, peacock held a prominent place, not only as a decorative motif, but also as a distinctive emblematic and symbolic sign. Its image was usually combined with a kantharos or a tree of life. Individually or in pairs, it was usually represented on places which were the ones closest to the holiest part of churches (altar’s parapet wall panels). Votive statuettes were brought in the church by the believers.
