X324: Finger ring with aquamarine intaglio
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© The Holburne Museum of Art, Bath
| Museum number | X324 |
| Title | Finger ring with aquamarine intaglio |
| Additional title | Mercury |
| Object type | In category: Jewellery » Finger ring intaglio |
| Date | Circa 1800 |
| People |
Unknown - Jeweller(s) |
| Place of origin | Europe » Southern Europe » Italy » Italy |
| Condition |
Good |
| Dimensions |
2.3 cm height whole 2.0 cm width whole 1.9 cm depth whole |
| Materials & techniques |
In categories: Metal » Gold Rock/ Mineral » Aquamarine |
| Description | Gold finger ring. The bezel is set with an aquamarine intagalio with a plain open gold mount. The intaglio is oval and convex and is engraved with a full length figure of a Mercury standing by a column. He is naked apart from a cloak and points to a ram's head held in his right hand | ||||||
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Subject |
Mythology |
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| Notes | The intaglio is an ancient Roman seal stone that has been set into a later ring. The ram's head is an attribute of Mercury, as protector of flocks. It has been described as perhaps the finest ancient gem in the collection. This is one of 59 ancient inaglios listed in the Catalogue of the Holburne of Menstrie Art Museum, published in 1887. However, many of these have subsequently been identified as later. All the ancient gems in Sir William Holburne's collection are Roman intaglio sealstones, ranging in date from 2nd century BC Republican Rome to the 1st and 2nd century Roman Empire. Aquamarine is a blue or blue-green form of beryl and is closely related to emeralds.
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| Literature |
Gertrude Seidman, 'A Rediscovered Gem Collection in Bath', Jewellery Studies, vol. 7 (1996), p.73, figs. 4 and 5 |
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| Muse theme | The Art of Collecting |
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| Muse chapter |
The History of the Holburne Collection » The Collection » Antiquities
The History of the Holburne Collection » The Collection » Gems and Jewels |
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| Gallery Label |
Ancient Roman seal stones re-set in later rings Late 1st century BC. - 1st century AD. Beryl, engraved with a figure of Mercury. X324 (Unknown) 1998 |
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| Method of acquisition | Bequest | ||||||
| Provenance | Thomas William Holburne (1793-1874); by whom bequeathed to Mary Anne Barbara Holburne (1802-1882), by whom bequeathed to the Museum | ||||||
| Exhibition history |
Title of exhibition: Holburne One hundred: an exhibition to commemorate the Centenary of the Museum's opening and the Bicentenary of Sir William Holburne's birth Title of exhibition: The Beauties of Bath: the Holburne Museum Revealed |
