Add to Collection

Add this item to an existing or new collection.
Harvard Art Museums
Incorrect Username, Email, or Password
This object does not yet have a description.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1983.26
Title
Engraved Gem with Uterine Symbol and Egyptian Deities
Classification
Gems
Work Type
gem
Date
c. 200-400 CE
Period
Roman Imperial period
Culture
Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/289209

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Hematite
Technique
Intaglio
Dimensions
1.8 x 1.7 cm (11/16 x 11/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Charles Dikran Kelekian, New York, (by 1982)], by descent; to his daughter Nanette Rodney Kelekian, New York, (1982-1983), gift; to the Fogg Museum, 1983.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Nanette B. Rodney
Accession Year
1983
Object Number
1983.26
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Description
Hematite uterine intaglio. On one side, there are four figures surrounded by an ouroboros and inscription, perhaps the magical Soroor-Logos. At left is Isis, standing, then Harpocrates sitting on Bes, Chnoubis sitting on a uterus, and a ram-headed figure sitting on a key. On the other side, a falcon-headed winged scarab sits on a uterus, surrounded by a spiraling Greek inscription, in two rows, and a beveled edge, which also bears an inscription.

Publication History

  • Simone Michel, Die magischen Gemmen: Zu Bildern und Zauberformeln auf geschnittenen Steinen der Antike und Neuzeit, Akademie Verlag (Berlin, Germany, 2004), 339, no. 54.4.b, pl. 71.2.

Related Works

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu