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Rome, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 4th century CE. A lovely ensemble of 5 ovoid intaglios – 4 carved from stone and 1 from raw spinel – boasting hues of salmon pink, coral, red, grey, taupe, and black. The first and largest shows the image of a grasshopper beside 3 crossed arrows. Displaying a deep red hue, the next displays a standing figure, perhaps Diana (Greek Artemis), wearing a toga and holding arrows. The third is also a figural intaglio and shows a nude male, likely Mercury (Greek Hermes), with his hand on his hip. The fourth features a figure standing contrapposto. Last, the intaglio of raw spinel is the smallest and exhibits an incised image that is indecipherable. Size of largest (grasshopper): 0.375″ W x 0.5″ H (1 cm x 1.3 cm)
Condition: Losses to peripheries of 4. Some abrasions and softening of detail, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with nice earthen deposits in recessed areas.
Provenance: ex-Phoenicia Holyland Antiquities, New York, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
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