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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2012.1.155
Title
Intaglio: Uterine Symbol with Egyptian Deities
Classification
Gems
Work Type
gem
Date
1st-4th Century CE
Period
Roman Imperial period
Culture
Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/72428

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Hematite
Technique
Intaglio
Dimensions
1.9 cm (3/4 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: around the edge of the front, in Greek, the magical formula called the "Sooror-Logos".

    On the back in three lines in Greek,
    "WPWPIOYΘ".

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Eleftherios Sossidi, Hamburg, (between 1955-65 - 1990's), sold; [through Sotheby's sale 7742, New York, December 7, 2001, lot 314]; to The Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (2001-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012.

Note: E. Sossidi (1913-1992) worked in Cairo from 1958-1968.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University
Accession Year
2012
Object Number
2012.1.155
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Hematite intaglio with uterine symbols and Egyptian deities. On the one side, a uterus with a key at the entrance (locking it), and small depictions of Isis, Osiris, and Chnoubis above. There are characters in the field around the uterus (possibly vowels); the whole scene is within an ouroboros and surrounded by an inscription, possibly the Soroor-Logos. Chipped around the edges. On the other side is a Greek inscription in three lines surrounded by a beveled edge.

Publication History

  • Simone Michel, Die magischen Gemmen: Zu Bildern und Zauberformeln auf geschnittenen Steinen der Antike und Neuzeit, Akademie Verlag (Berlin, Germany, 2004), 336, no. 54.2.h (as Sossidi 7).

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 3740 Egyptian, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 05/28/2024 - 11/18/2024

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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