Roman Mars Gemstone in Gold Ring

1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D. AND LATER

7/8 in. (8.93 grams, 21.88 mm overall, 17.70 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)).

An ellipsoid carnelian gemstone with intaglio figure of Mars wearing a helmet and bearing a cornucopia in one hand and a miniature figure of Victory in the other; set in a later gold ring.

Provenance

Ex Marianne Maspero, 1980.
with Pierre Berge & Associes, Paris, France, 16 May 2018, lot 230.
English private collection.

Footnotes

Mars was the ancient Roman god of war and agriculture; the majority of his festivals were held in March, when the season for military campaigning commenced, whilst the season for farming ended. Mars symbolised military power as a method for securing peace and stability and was believed a protective father of the Roman people. In Roman mythology, Mars raped Silvia, thus fathering Romulus and Remus, the famous twins suckled by the She-wolf and founders of the city of Rome. The animals most closely associated with Mars are the woodpecker, wolf and bear.

CONDITION

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LOT 0646