A ROMAN SARD RINGSTONE WITH SILENUS AND A BOY
A ROMAN SARD RINGSTONE WITH SILENUS AND A BOY
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PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF DR. CORINNE BRONFMAN
A ROMAN SARD RINGSTONE WITH SILENUS AND A BOY

ROMAN REPUBLIC, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.

Details
A ROMAN SARD RINGSTONE WITH SILENUS AND A BOY
ROMAN REPUBLIC, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.
11/16 in. (1.7 cm.) long; ring size 5
Provenance
George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (1739-1817), Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire; thence by descent to his son, George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough (1766-1840), Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire; thence by descent to his son, George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough (1793–1857), Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire; thence by descent to his son, John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough (1822-1883), Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.
The Marlborough Gems: Being a Collection of Works in Cameo and Intaglio Formed by George, Third Duke of Marlborough, Christie's, London, 28 June-1 July 1875, lot 204.
David Bromilow (1809-1898), Bitteswell Hall, Leicestershire, acquired from the above; thence by descent to his daughter, Julia Harriet Mary Jary, Bitteswell Hall, Leicestershire.
The Marlborough Gems: A Collection of Works in Cameo and Intaglio Formed by George, Third Duke of Marlborough, Purchased by the Late David Bromilow, Esq., of Bitteswell Hall, Lutterworth, the Property of Mrs. Jary, Christie's, London, 26-29 June 1899, lot 204.
with Francis E. Whelan (1848-1907), London, acquired from the above (according to auctioneer's book).
John Postle Heseltine (1843-1929), London.
Antique Gems, Greek Coins, and Greek and Roman Antiquities of J. P. Heseltine, Esq., Christie's, London, 19 April 1921, lot 122.
Landsberg, acquired from the above (according to auctioneer's book).
Marjorie Bronfman (1917-2012), Montreal, acquired by 1978; gifted to her daughter, Dr. Corinne Bronfman (1947-2022), Washington, D.C.; thence by descent to the current owner.
Literature
N. Story-Maskelyne, The Marlborough Gems: Being a Collection of Works in Cameo and Intaglio Formed by George, Third Duke of Marlborough, London, 1870, p. 33, no. 204.
J. Boardman, et al., The Marlborough Gems, Formerly at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, London, 2009, p. 266, no. 628.

Brought to you by

Hannah Fox Solomon
Hannah Fox Solomon Head of Department, Specialist

Lot Essay

On this gemstone, a stooping Silenus, nude but for a loincloth, stands before a nude boy, holding a purse and pouring from a jug onto Silenus’ feet. The scene is enclosed within a hatched border. For the subject, compare the carnelian ringstone, no. 73 in C. Wagner and J. Boardman, A Collection of Classical and Eastern Intaglios, Rings and Cameos. The gem is mounted as a ring in an 18th century rose gold setting; traces of the Marlborough Collection number are preserved in red on the exterior of the hoop.

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