Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Female Portrait

Comprising a round-section hoop with pelletted shoulders, lentoid-shaped bezel set with carnelian intaglio engraved with a standing boar. 4.77 grams, 25.49 mm overall, 17.28 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)



Acquired on the UK art market before 2000. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Comprising: one with applied granules to the shoulders and applied filigree collar around the bezel; one with volutes to the shoulders, discoid bezel. 3.62 grams total, 23-29 mm



Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, collector. From his private collection since the 1970s; thence by descent circa 2000. Ex private collection of a Bedfordshire gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Carved in fine-grained marble, the head depicting a matron of the patrician class with angular features, pronounced cheekbones and a softly wrinkled brow; her lips finely curved and gently closed, the heavy-lidded eyes incised with irises and drilled pupils, lending an expression of composed attentiveness; the hair parted centrally, arranged in thick curls drawn behind the prominent ears, coiled into a low chignon at the nape and continued as a braided tail over the crown, a coiffure closely associated with the mid-3rd century A.D.; attached to an antique bust, some restoration. 49 kg, 76.5 cm high



French private collection, 18th century. with Mercier & Cie, Lille, France, 6 October 2019, no.199. Private collection, Europe. Accompanied by a copy of French passport no.217723, dated 27 February 2020. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12674-236274. 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.

The present work exhibits a distinctive coiffure that gained prominence among aristocratic Roman women during the mid-3rd century A.D., most notably under the empresses Furia Sabinia Tranquillina, consort of Gordian III, and Otacilia Severa, wife of Philippus Arabs. This elaborate arrangement - central parting, voluminous curls, and a braided crown - is a key chronological indicator, allowing the portrait to be securely dated to this period. The head is mounted on an 18th century bust inscribed 'IVLIA MAESA'. While this identification reflects an earlier attribution, current stylistic analysis suggests a slightly later date, aligning the portrait more plausibly with the generation following Julia Maesa’s death in A.D. 224/225.