Description
This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!
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As passionate dealers, we are constantly on the lookout for unusual pieces of jewelry. Antique cameos have always been one of our hobbyhorses. Intaglios from Roman times in particular have a special attraction for us. There is so much history in them, so much lost mythology and so much meaning.
In Roman times, intaglios were created for a wide variety of occasions. Images of divine patrons were carved in stone to give to friends and relatives and scenes from mythology or depictions of the gods served as protective amulets and talismans, which were always matched to their respective wearers.
The question of why a relatively large number of such ancient stones have survived to this day is quite easy to answer. The engraved stones, mostly carnelians, but also other stones from the agate group, garnets or even glass rivers were so numerous that every Roman citizen often owned several of these protective stones. Depending on the purse, the cameos were set in luxurious or base metal, often in iron, but also in gold or silver. If these rings were lost, buried in times of war and never recovered or used as burial objects, they were kept safe in the ground. After the fall of the Roman Empire, many hundreds of years passed in which such gemstones were very rare finds.
This does not mean that the small works of art were not valued in the Middle Ages. Most medieval church treasures contain goldsmith's work in which numerous ancient Roman seal stones are set. The Shrine of the Epiphany in Cologne, for example, contains a large number of Roman artifacts, as does the Lothar Cross in the treasury of Aachen Cathedral. These stones were therefore also considered precious and valued in post-Roman times.
However, it is only thanks to the development of our millennium that we now have the opportunity to search specifically for such pieces. Historical research is now aware of old Roman roads and settlements from those years and technology provides probes that can detect metals in deeper layers of the earth. The search for artifacts is permitted in countries that do not have a so-called "treasure law". In England in particular, the search for Roman treasures has long since become a popular leisure activity that modern treasure hunters enjoy pursuing today. Thanks to good contacts in the United Kingdom, we are therefore able to purchase some of these treasures from time to time, most of which have lain dormant in the ground for almost 2,000 years...
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Size & Details
Our Promise
We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.
You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.
Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within one month and we will refund the full purchase price.
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