3 Roman Carnelian Intaglios - Fortuna, Minerva, Victory & Birds

Roman, Imperial period. A trio of miniature carnelian intaglios, each an oval gem of warm translucent orange-red, engraved in negative so that a wax impression would resolve the image in relief. The largest presents Fortuna standing with a cornucopia cradled in one arm and a rudder steadying the other, the twin attributes of abundance and directed fate. The second shows Minerva helmeted, spear and shield at her side, extending a winged Victory who lifts a wreath. The smallest carries an abstract avian device, perhaps one to three birds, possibly sea birds, reduced to a few confident strokes. All three were cut for setting into finger rings, where they served as personal seals and as compact declarations of the wearer's chosen divine favor. Fortuna with rudder and cornucopia is among the most persistent images in Roman glyptic. The rudder steers the course of a life, the cornucopia pays out its rewards, and the pairing let a merchant, soldier, or traveler carry a portable prayer for prosperity that also functioned as a legal signature on wax. Minerva holding Victory, known as Minerva Victrix or, in the sculptural type, Athena Nikephoros, descends from the great chryselephantine Athena Parthenos of Pheidias, whose right hand supported a winged Nike. Reduced to a gem barely a centimeter tall, that monumental composition survives intact: helmet, spear, shield, and the small wreath-bearing figure balanced on the goddess's palm. Carnelian was the preferred stone for such seals because hot wax releases cleanly from its surface, a practical virtue that kept the material in constant use from the Republic through late antiquity. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 204649

Estimate:$225

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