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Details
LOT 0715
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Bee
CIRCA 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
3/8 in. (0.33 grams, 10 mm).
Ellipsoid intaglio with bee in plan; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
Provenance
Acquired on the London art market in the late 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of an East London, UK, gentleman.
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The image on the gemstone can refer to a simplified representation of the radiant serpent-god Chnoubis, invoked to cure stomach ache and heartburn. According to the Greek physician Galen, when worn as an amulet, it benefitted the stomach and the oesophagus.