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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1986.548
Title
Ring with Orange Glass Gem Bearing Human Head
Classification
Jewelry
Work Type
ring
Date
1st-3rd century CE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World
Period
Roman period
Culture
Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/303709

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Brass and glass
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
1.6 x 1.2 x 2.1 cm (5/8 x 1/2 x 13/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Brass
Alloying Elements: copper, zinc
Other Elements: lead, iron
Comments: The ring is set with a glass intaglio.
K. Eremin, January 2014

Technical Observations: The patinas of these rings (1986.548, 1986.549, 1986.550, and 1986.551) are green with spots of underlying red, and light brown burial accretions are present. The front surfaces of the glass intaglios are eroded and worn. The incised decoration on the front of 1986.551 is better preserved, but the ring is broken in two.

The copper alloy rings were cast. Cold work hammering has created faceting along the hoop of all the rings except 1986.549, which is smoothly rounded with no faceting. The bezels of 1986.548 and 1986.550 have thin sheets, hammered from the top surface of the ring, which come over the top of the intaglio to secure it. 1986.549 and 1986.550 do not have thin sheets. The walls of the bezel cavity appear to hold the sides of the intaglios. No resin for holding the intaglios in place was found. The glass of 1986.550 is an opaque blue, and a fragment of gold foil (2 x 3 mm) covers the surface of one of the valleys in the carved relief. The glass of the other rings is a transparent amber color.


Henry Lie (submitted 2012)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Jonathan H. Kagan
Accession Year
1986
Object Number
1986.548
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
The bezel of this ring is oval and has a bevel around it. The gem is glass and is very slight iridescent. It is orange and extensively chipped, removing any trace of the signet design. The hoop is round. The arms flare larger toward the bezel and taper away from it. A small lump of irregular bronze is attached to the hoop at the midpoint, probably from contact with another object. A male head, in profile to the left, may appear on the gem, but it is poorly preserved.

Glass was sometimes used to decorate rings as a cheaper substitute for stones and gems (1). This ring could have been used as a seal or as an apotropaic object protecting the wearer (2).

NOTES:

1. See C. Johns, The Jewellery of Roman Britain: Celtic and Classical Traditions (London, 1996) 78-79.

2. Ibid. 42-44.

Lisa M. Anderson

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Related Works

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