LOT 0122

Roman Inscribed Orange Sardonyx Gemstone with Philosopher Seated Under a Tree

1ST CENTURY A.D.

1/2 in. (1.01 grams, 13 mm).

The oval stone engraved with an old man (a philosopher?) seated on a stone, wearing a low cap, half naked and with the cloak covering his leg; his right hand resting beside him, and his left hand raised in the act of speaking; a tree behind, inscription in Greek letters 'ψίω' (= eat).

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

See similar image of a seated philosopher in Provincia di Venezia, Piccolo mondo antico, la collezione glittica torcellana (Small Ancient World, the glyptic collection from Torcello, in Italian),, Venezia, 2014, p.39.

A particularly recognisable representation in Graeco-Roman art was that of a male character, with a bald head and a slightly pointed beard, seated in profile on a simple seat or on a rock. It represents the philosopher, who often has his hand raised in the gesture of speaking or holds a volume in his hands, characterised according to the rules of cynicism, by the bare torso and the cloak that covers his legs. The inscription refers to the imperative to 'feed' on knowledge.