CIRCA 2ND CENTURY B.C.

Name: AN ITALIC CARNELIAN RINGSTONE WITH PROMETHEUS
Brand: CIRCA 2ND CENTURY B.C.
Price: 32000.00 USD
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised USD 40,320

Estimate

USD 10,000 - USD 15,000

Loading details

Try our

AN ITALIC CARNELIAN RINGSTONE WITH PROMETHEUS

CIRCA 2ND CENTURY B.C.

Price Realised USD 40,320

⁵⁄₈ in. (1.5 cm.) long

Giorgio Sangiorgi (1886-1965), Rome, acquired and brought to Switzerland, late 1930s; thence by continuous descent to the current owner.

J. Boardman and C. Wagner, Masterpieces in Miniature: Engraved Gems from Prehistory to the Present, London, 2018, p. 110, no. 99.

Conditions of Sale
FAQs
This lot is offered by Christie's Inc

Brought to you by

Hannah Fox SolomonHead of Department, Specialist

A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

hsolomon@christies.com +1 212 636 2256

Lot Essay

Engraved on this flat oval ringstone is Prometheus, seated on a rock, fashioning a man out of clay. The upper skeleton is nearly complete, propped up on rocks. There is a groundline below, and the scene is framed by a hatched border. The subject was popular on Etruscan and Italic gems. For related examples see the ringstones, nos. 80-81a-d in J.-R. Gisler, "Prometheus," in LIMC, vol. VII.