LOT 0090

Roman Sapphire Cameo with Bust of Serapis Later Converted to Saint John the Evangelist

CIRCA 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D., REWORKED 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.

1 in. (5.06 grams, 23 mm).

Carved in the half-round on a sapphire crystal showing striations on the reverse, depicting the upper body of Serapis/St John with modius and pleated tunic, eagle with spread wings placed on the chest.

Acquired circa 1980.
Property of a Middlesex gentleman.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13351-255640.

Cf. for the style a medallion decorated with the bust of an Evangelist in Istanbul Archaeological Museum in Killerich, B., ‘The State of Early Christian Iconography in the Twenty-First Century’ in June 2015, Studies in Iconography, 36, 2015, pp.99-134, fig.6; for the kind of religious Rock Crystal engravings cf. Wamser, L., Die Welt von Byzanz - Europas Östliches Erbe, München, 2004, items 694ff.

This is a prime example of late antique or early medieval spolia, where a pagan motif was converted into a Christian one with minimal mental or manual adaptation into a visual fusion of Serapis and Saint John. During the Roman Empire, especially in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, depictions of the 'bust of the God Serapis standing on an eagle' were extremely popular. The eagle symbolised Jupiter-Serapis, as well as Roman power. When the Empire became Christian, this combination was immediately recognised as the Evangelist John, accompanied by his symbol, the eagle. The modius (kalathos) symbolised fertility and dominion over the underworld when placed on Serapis's head. However, it was often incorrectly (or deliberately) interpreted by Christian observers as an early form of a crown, halo, or priestly headdress. As sapphire is extremely difficult to work with, the modius was often left standing, emphasising the figure's imperial or divine dignity. There are documented cases of this kind. Most famous example: 'Gem of Serapis' (Cab. Méd., Paris), or the reinterpretation of depictions of Jupiter as God the Father. During the Christianisation process, pagan gods with beards and eagles (Jupiter/Serapis) were reclassified as John the Evangelist or Christ himself en masse.