Lot 102
102
A ROMAN AMETHYST RING STONE
THE PROPERTY OF A U.S. PRIVATE COLLECTOR
A ROMAN AMETHYST RING STONE

CIRCA LATE 2ND CENTURY A.D.

Details
A ROMAN AMETHYST RING STONE
CIRCA LATE 2ND CENTURY A.D.
The flat oval stone engraved with a portrait of a bearded emperor, a laurel wreath in his curly hair, the ties fluttering behind; mounted as a ring in a modern gold setting
11/16 in. (1.7 cm) long; ring size 9½
Provenance
Anonymous sale; Christie's, New York, 8 June 2001, lot 252.

Lot Essay

The emperor depicted on this gem is likely Pescennius Niger, governor of Syria in A.D. 191 and later proclaimed Emperor by his legions in early 193. His brief reign came to an end when he was defeated and killed by Septimius Severus. Pescennius Niger's likeness is known from coins, and also on a red jasper gem in the Cabinet des Médailles, Paris, (no. 571 in Richter, Engraved Gems of the Romans) where he is identified by an inscription. Our gem displays the same straight short locks at the forehead and the forward curving strands at the end of his beard.

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