A GREEK BLUE GLASS RINGSTONE

HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.

Details

A GREEK BLUE GLASS RINGSTONE
HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.
The flat oval with a head of Herakles in profile to the left, the youthful, beardless hero wearing the Nemean lionskin over his head, the paws knotted at his chest; mounted as a ring in a modern gold setting
5/8 in. (1.6 cm.) long; ring size 7¼

Provenance

Private Collection, U.S., 1980s.

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Lot Essay

The youthful head of Herakles wearing the Nemean lionskin was a common motif on the coinage of Macedonia, especially during the reign of Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.) and his successors. The subject, also popular on gems, may have depicted Alexander the Great or a successor assimilated to the Greek hero. For another glass ringstone with a youthful Herakles see no. 1054 in Schlülter, Platz-Horster, and Zazoff, Antike Gemmen in Deutschen Sammlungen, Band IV, Hannover, Kestner-Museum; Hamburg, Museum für Kunst and Gewerbe.

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