A Roman Carnelian Ring Stone with a Portrait Head of the God Cronus

Set in a gold ring

Circa 1st-3rd Century A.D.

Ring size 7; High karat gold; 1.62 dwt.

Provenance:

Marjorie Bronfman (1917-2012), Montreal, acquired prior to 31 March 1966; gifted to her daughter, Dr. Corinne Bronfman (1947-2022), Washington, D.C.; thence by descent. [Inv. no. 184]

Depicting a finely carved portrait head of Cronus, father of Zeus, this Roman intaglio closely mirrors Greek originals of the 4th century B.C. For a comparable example, see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Acc. No. 81.6.53).

Inspected under UV light and 10x loupe. Minor scratches and wear to stone, notably at edge near Cronus' forehead. Small scratches to gold. Overall in fine and attractive condition. See additional images.

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Mr. Coley joined the Antiquities department in 2021 after working as Managing Director in the Ancient Art department at Colnaghi, the world’s oldest commercial art gallery, where he helped to establish the Ancient Art department and launched Colnaghi New York in 2017. Prior to Colnaghi, Mr. Coley was in the Greek and Roman Art department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Coley holds a B.A. from the University of Miami and an M.A. in Art Market from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and he earned an art-appraisal certificate from New York University.

Jewelry Through the Ages: Ancient to Neoclassical

A Roman Carnelian Ring Stone with a Portrait Head of the God Cronus

Set in a gold ring

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