CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.

Details

A ROMAN CARNELIAN RINGSTONE WITH HYGEIA
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.
1/2 in. (1.3 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

Brought to you by

Claudio Corsi Specialist, Head of Department

ccorsi@christies.com +44 (0) 20 7389 2607

Lot Essay

The oval stone is engraved with Hygieia, the daughter of the god Asklepius and personification of health, her hair bound up and wearing a long chiton. She is offering a dish, held in her outstretched hand, to her father's healing serpent which is coiled in front and behind her body. A popular motif on Roman gems, cf. cf. M. Maaskant-Kleibrink, Catalogue of the Engraved Gems in the Royal Coin Cabinet The Hague, The Hague, 1978, nos 287, 634, 710, 840 and 848.

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