Harvard Art Museums > 1986.542: Finger Ring Engraved with the Portrait of a Woman Jewelry Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Finger Ring Engraved with the Portrait of a Woman , 1986.542,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 22, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/303653. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1986.542 Title Finger Ring Engraved with the Portrait of a Woman Other Titles Former Title: Finger Ring with Human Head in Intaglio Classification Jewelry Work Type ring Date 3rd century BCE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Africa, Egypt (Ancient) Period Hellenistic period Culture Greek Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/303653 Physical Descriptions Medium Copper alloy Technique Cast, lost-wax process Dimensions 2.2 x 1.8 x 2.3 cm (7/8 x 11/16 x 7/8 in.) Technical Details Technical Observations: 1986.542 is intact, although much of the surface detail of the intaglio design is softened from corrosion and wear. All four rings have lost some detail from corrosion and wear, with 1986.541 showing considerable loss of detail. All are broken at the points where the front meets the ring. 1986.543 has no ring. 1986.541 has a modern lead repair, perhaps with the original ring, and 1953.83 also has a modern lead repair with what appears to be a section of a modern ring. The rings appear to be cast with no clear evidence of cold work in the relief decoration. The relief on 1986.543 is slightly higher than the other two relief rings; 1986.542 is carved in intaglio. Henry Lie (submitted 2001) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Jonathan H. Kagan Accession Year 1986 Object Number 1986.542 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 Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums The ring is in the form of a plain hoop, rounded on the exterior, with a flat bezel of oval shape. Deeply engraved in the bezel is a portrait bust of a woman wearing a diadem on her head. A similar portrait on a chalcedony gem in the Cabinet des Medailles, Paris, has been identified as Arsinoe III Philopator (1). NOTES: 1. See D. Plantzos, Hellenistic Engraved Gems (Oxford, 1999) 114, no. 34, pl. 6. Seán Hemingway Subjects and Contexts Ancient Bronzes Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be 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
