News
Ancient Roman intaglio ring believed to depict the first emperor Augustus and valued at £200 sells at auction for £117,000 An ancient ring believed to depict Rome's first emperor has sold at a Birmingham auction house for a whopping £117,000 after being valued at just £200.
The 2,000 year old ring, featuring the head of Augustus, had been expected to fetch between £150 and £200 but sold for 450 times its estimate at a price of £90,000 plus fees. The first century piece of jewelry is thought to have been acquired by a traveler during a ‘Grand Tour’ to Italy in the 19th century. It was then brought back to Britain where it has since remained. 'Grand Tour' trips to Italy were popular among aristocrats and members of Britain's upper class between the 17th to 19th centuries.
Set in gold, the intricately crafted ring features the ‘intaglio’ - a carving in a gem or piece of metal which leaves a hollow impression used as a seal on documents - of a man’s head in profile.
It is believed to depict Rome's first emperor Augustus, who ruled the Roman Empire from 27 BC until his death, aged 75, in the year 14AD. In securing victory against Mark Anthony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31BC, Augustus ended a bitter 13-year civil war.
The Roman emperor's reign is often associated with imperial peace - or ‘pax Romana’. The garnet ring went under the hammer for £90,000, or £117,000 including fees, following a heated bidding war which lasted nearly 20 minutes at the Fine Jewelry Auction held by specialist jewelry auctioneers Fellows in Birmingham. The ring was sold alongside an array of other jewelry items, including other intaglios. Though the jewelry team at Fellows had identified the fine craftsmanship of the garnet ring, experts failed to accurately estimate the sums bidders would be willing to spend on the ring. The British seller is private and no further details as to how they acquired the ring were available.
A 2,000-year-old gem seal depicting the Greek god Apollo found under the City of David
According to researchers, the tiny gem seal, the third ever found in Jerusalem from the Second Temple period, was likely the property of a Jew.
A 2,000-year-old gem seal bearing the portrait of the Greek god Apollo has been unearthed in soil removed from the foundation of Jerusalem’s Western Wall during the Tzurim Valley National Park sifting project, the City of David announced in a statement.
According to researchers, this is only the third such gem seal ever found in Jerusalem from the Second Temple period.
The gem is cut from dark brown jasper, considered a precious stone in antiquity, and has remnants of yellow-light, brown, and white layers. Oval-shaped, it is also extremely small, being half an inch in length, two-fifths of an inch wide and only about one-ninth of an inch thick.
ANCIENT AND CLASSICAL RINGS
Ancient Egyptians are known to have worn scarab rings, carved from a variety of stones including lapis lazuli, amethyst, rock crystal, and turquoise, threaded simply by a silver or gold wire. They were often engraved on the flat side of the scarab with decorative hieroglyphs, protective symbols, or titles; with a simple swivel, the function of both signet and amulet were combined. During the period of the New Kingdom, (1559-1085 B.C.) Egyptian goldsmiths had progressed to casting all metal stirrup-shaped rings bearing the royal cartouche. These rings served not only as visible symbols of rank and power but as means to authenticate documents. Egyptians wore rings as signets or for religious and talismanic purposes and, although the materials were carefully worked and pleasing arrangements of stones and designs are evident, they were worn for a purpose rather than as mere decoration.
The 2,000 year old ring, featuring the head of Augustus, had been expected to fetch between £150 and £200 but sold for 450 times its estimate at a price of £90,000 plus fees. The first century piece of jewelry is thought to have been acquired by a traveler during a ‘Grand Tour’ to Italy in the 19th century. It was then brought back to Britain where it has since remained. 'Grand Tour' trips to Italy were popular among aristocrats and members of Britain's upper class between the 17th to 19th centuries.Set in gold, the intricately crafted ring features the ‘intaglio’ - a carving in a gem or piece of metal which leaves a hollow impression used as a seal on documents - of a man’s head in profile.
It is believed to depict Rome's first emperor Augustus, who ruled the Roman Empire from 27 BC until his death, aged 75, in the year 14AD. In securing victory against Mark Anthony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31BC, Augustus ended a bitter 13-year civil war.The Roman emperor's reign is often associated with imperial peace - or ‘pax Romana’. The garnet ring went under the hammer for £90,000, or £117,000 including fees, following a heated bidding war which lasted nearly 20 minutes at the Fine Jewelry Auction held by specialist jewelry auctioneers Fellows in Birmingham. The ring was sold alongside an array of other jewelry items, including other intaglios. Though the jewelry team at Fellows had identified the fine craftsmanship of the garnet ring, experts failed to accurately estimate the sums bidders would be willing to spend on the ring. The British seller is private and no further details as to how they acquired the ring were available.
A 2,000-year-old gem seal depicting the Greek god Apollo found under the City of David
According to researchers, the tiny gem seal, the third ever found in Jerusalem from the Second Temple period, was likely the property of a Jew.
A 2,000-year-old gem seal bearing the portrait of the Greek god Apollo has been unearthed in soil removed from the foundation of Jerusalem’s Western Wall during the Tzurim Valley National Park sifting project, the City of David announced in a statement.
According to researchers, this is only the third such gem seal ever found in Jerusalem from the Second Temple period.
The gem is cut from dark brown jasper, considered a precious stone in antiquity, and has remnants of yellow-light, brown, and white layers. Oval-shaped, it is also extremely small, being half an inch in length, two-fifths of an inch wide and only about one-ninth of an inch thick.
ANCIENT AND CLASSICAL RINGS
Ancient Egyptians are known to have worn scarab rings, carved from a variety of stones including lapis lazuli, amethyst, rock crystal, and turquoise, threaded simply by a silver or gold wire. They were often engraved on the flat side of the scarab with decorative hieroglyphs, protective symbols, or titles; with a simple swivel, the function of both signet and amulet were combined. During the period of the New Kingdom, (1559-1085 B.C.) Egyptian goldsmiths had progressed to casting all metal stirrup-shaped rings bearing the royal cartouche. These rings served not only as visible symbols of rank and power but as means to authenticate documents. Egyptians wore rings as signets or for religious and talismanic purposes and, although the materials were carefully worked and pleasing arrangements of stones and designs are evident, they were worn for a purpose rather than as mere decoration.
The ancient Greeks and Romans wore rings for a variety of different purposes, including purely ornamental ones. Scarab rings were worn by the Greeks as were signet rings engraved with motifs from nature and figures from mythology and literature. Bezels set with gems prized for their beauty, rarity, and talismanic properties were worn, as were plain gold rings. Rings could also be ornately worked in wire, filigree, and intricate pierced work, (opus interrasile).
