Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Eros Harassing a Bird in a Tree

1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.

1/2 in. (0.56 grams, 14 mm).

The oval intaglio engraved with nude Eros, holding a fowling-rod, approaching a tree with a bird, a line marking the ground.

Provenance

Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Important North West London collection.

Literature

Cf. for similar see British Museum, accession no. 1923.0401.486, in Walters, H.B., Catalogue of Engraved Gems & Cameos, Greek, Etruscan & Roman in the British Museum, London, 1926, no.2869.

Footnotes

Doves are a typical attribute of Aphrodite, and real birds were often given to women as love-tokens; this bezel was possibly destined to a ring used for this purpose. At the same time, the presence of Eros was presumably intended to enhance the wearer’s personal allure.

CONDITION

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LOT 0118