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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2012.1.156
Title
Intaglio: Rooster-Headed Anguipede
Classification
Gems
Work Type
gem
Date
1st-4th Century
Period
Roman Imperial period
Culture
Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/72429

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Jasper
Technique
Intaglio
Dimensions
1.7 cm (11/16 in.)

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
2012.1.156
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
Reddish-brown jasper intaglio with a carving of an anguipede (head of a rooster, torso of a human, serpent legs), head turned to the right, right arm upraised holding a flail, and left arm holding a round shield. The anguipede wears a cloak and kilt-like covering on his lower torso. There is no inscription. Chipped around the edges.
Commentary
Depictions of anguipedes on gems (sometimes with lion heads, but most often with the head of a rooster) are commonly associated with the word or name Abrasax (cf. 2012.1.144), which is related to the seven planets and also numerologically to the 365 days of the year.

Publication History

  • Simone Michel, Die magischen Gemmen: Zu Bildern und Zauberformeln auf geschnittenen Steinen der Antike und Neuzeit, Akademie Verlag (Berlin, Germany, 2004), 239, no. 3.A.1.a (as Sossidi 9), pl. 48.1.

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