CIRCA 19TH CENTURY

Depictions of seated figures holding a mask are known already in Greek art from the 4th century B.C. (see the Athenian marble relief, fig. 201 in M. Bieber, The History of the Greek and Roman Theater). The subject was popular on Roman gems (see for example no. 684 in M. Maaskant-Kleibrink, Catalogue of the Engraved Gems in the Royal Coin Cabinet, The Hague), and these Roman examples would have been the inspiration for gem engravers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Here, the philosopher is bearded, wearing a long mantle over his shoulders that leaves his upper torso bare. He is seated on an altar, holding a bearded mask out before him, with a krater on a column behind him. The gem is mounted as a ring in a 19th century gold setting.