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LOT 0119
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Owl Between Cornucopiae
1ST CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (0.65 grams, 13 mm).
The oval intaglio engraved with the bird facing, flanked by two opposing cornucopiae.
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Important North West London collection.
Cf. Henig, M., A corpus of Roman Engraved Gemstones from British Sites, Oxford, 2007, for similar gemstones with caduceus (no.422) and calathus (App.54) flanked by cornucopiae.
FootnotesAccording to Greek mythology, the cornucopia was the horn lost by the Achelous river in the fight with Hercules for Deianeira and filled by the Naiads with flowers and fruit as a symbol of abundance, thus alluding to the fertility of the valley where the Achelous flowed. The owl, symbol of Athena, flanked by cornucopiae, evoked the abundance asked from the goddess by the wearer of the gemstone.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Jasper Gemstone with Mercury
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £700 - 900 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £389
The god depicted naked, standing, looking left, holding a caduceus and a purse. 0.79 grams, 15 mm
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection.
After his identification with the Greek Hermes, the Roman artists who realised his images for the Roman magistrates used the specific Greek elements of his personality (the winged low cap petasos, the face of a shaved young man, the caduceus, the winged shoes of Phekasia type) but added the attribute of a purse, specific to Mercury. -
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Horse and Cavalry Man
3rd-2nd century B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
The rounded intaglio with a horseman, helmetted or wearing a causia, with flying cloak, riding towards left. 0.27 grams, 9 mm
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection.
The cap (kausia) was typical of Hellenistic military dress and had been worn by cavalrymen since Alexander’s campaigns of the 4th century BC. The gemstone could represent an Italic cavalrymen, a socius (ally) of the Roman army. Another possibility is that the gemstone follows Etruscan influence, like the example in the British Museum, accession no. 1872,0604.156. The kausia cap had also its metallic counterpart, worn by the Tarentine cavalrymen of the Hellenistic period. -
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Farmer and Oxen
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
The oval intaglio engraved with a man driving a pair of oxen with plough to left, a detailed tree with branches in the background, ground line under the oxen. 0.38 grams, 10 mm
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection.
The gem could refer to the Augustan program of restoration of peace and security in the empire, after the agitated period of civil wars, with the possibility for men to return peacefully to their lands in a now peaceful empire. However, we cannot exclude that the image also refers to the well-known episode of Greek mythology, when Odysseus, to escape the call to arms in Troy, feigned madness by ploughing the fields without interruption, until he was unmasked by Palamedes, cousin of Agamemnon, who placed Odysseus' infant son Telemachus in front of the plough, forcing Odysseus to stop and reveal feigned insanity.
