CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN WHITE ONYX RINGSTONE WITH THE BUST OF NEMESIS
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
5/8 in. (1.6 cm.) long

Provenance

Giorgio Sangiorgi (1886-1965), Rome, acquired and brought to Switzerland, late 1930s; thence by continuous descent to the current owner.

Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

Engraved with winged Nemesis, her hair bound up, daintily holding out the front her her dress delicately between her fingers, an inscription about the edge CARCICINVS, possibly the owner's name. For a similar bust dated to the 1st Century B.C. cf. M. Maaskant-Kleibrink, Catalogue of the Engraved Gems in the Royal Coin Cabinet The Hague, The Hague, 1978, p. 137, pl. 42, no. 201. Standing figures of Nemesis holding out her drapery like the above, can be seen on Roman coinage under Claudius and Hadrian.

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