Roman Banded Glass Intaglio, Two Cupids with Horse

拍品描述

Roman, Imperial period, ca. 50 BCE – 100 CE. A miniature oval glass intaglio, made to be set in a finger ring. It is cast in layers: a band of deep cobalt blue runs down the middle between two bands of leafy green, imitating the striped hardstones that wealthy Romans prized. The sunken image shows two nude cupids, or putti, with a horse. One rides on the horse's back. The other sits in front of the animal and seems to hold a bunch of grapes. Two disc-shaped forms fill the background; they may be shields or stones. Cupids with grapes belong to the world of Bacchus, the wine god, so the scene probably refers to his cult. Pressed into wax, a gem like this could have worked as a seal, but it was just as much a piece of colorful personal jewelry. Size: 0.44" H x 0.59" W x 0.09" D (1.1 cm H x 1.5 cm W x 0.2 cm D). In the late first century BCE and the first century CE, Roman glassworkers made large numbers of layered glass gems. They copied sardonyx and nicolo, the expensive banded stones used for engraved gems, and sold them to buyers who could not afford the real stones. The colored layers were fused together. The image was usually pressed into the soft glass from a mold taken from a carved stone, so these pastes often repeat subjects known from carved gems. Erotes (winged or wingless child-gods of love) were among the favorite subjects of Roman gem engravers. They often appear in light-hearted scenes taken from the cult of Dionysus, picking grapes, riding animals, or playing with the god's equipment. SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700. PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception. Item #204680

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