Ring with Intaglio Design: Woman with Wreath and Flutes, Inscription

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 1960.633
Title: Ring with Intaglio Design: Woman with Wreath and Flutes, Inscription
Classification: Jewelry
Work Type: ring
Date: 5th-1st century BCE
Places: Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe
Period: Classical period to Hellenistic
Culture: Greek
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/289235

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Copper alloy

Technique

Cast, lost-wax process

Dimensions

2 x 1.3 x 2.2 cm (13/16 x 1/2 x 7/8 in.)

Technical Details

Technical Observations: The patina is a dark greenish black, which is worn in some areas. The decorated bezel shows signs of wear. There is a small area of damage to the patina on the back of the bezel, revealing a fresh metal that shows no signs of deep corrosion. There is also a crack or break in the thinner part of the hoop.

The ring was cast by the lost-wax process. The fine, crisp details of the hair and letters suggest that the design was cut directly into the metal, although this could also have been done to rework features originally formed in the wax. The facets on the ring were probably formed in the wax.

Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2012)

Inscriptions and Marks

inscription: in Greek in four vertical lines,
ΑΡΧΕΛΑΙΣ
ΧΑΙΡΕ ΚΑΙ
ΚΑΛΛΙΑΣΟΝ
ΣΟΜΑ

[Transliteration: Ἀρχελαΐς, χαῖρε, καὶ καλλίασον<σὸν> σ(ῶ)μα]

[Translation: "Greetings, Archelais and o most beautiful body." Transl. by D. M. Robinson, "The Robinson Collection of Greek Gems, Seals, Rings, and Earrings" Hesperia Supplements 8 (1949) 316, no. 20.]

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: David M. Robinson, Baltimore, MD, (by 1949), bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1960.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of David M. Robinson
Accession Year: 1960
Object Number: 1960.633
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions: The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
The oval bezel of this ring is decorated with an intaglio design depicting a woman, standing left, with an inscription. The woman holds a wreath in her right hand, while her lowered left hand holds a double pipe. She wears a long dress, with vertical folds rendered. The bezel and circular-sectioned hoop are intact. The inscription may be a “kallos” inscription, frequently found on Greek vases, greeting Archelais and noting that she has a beautiful body.

Lisa M. Anderson

Publication History

David Moore Robinson, "The Robinson Collection of Greek Gems, Seals, Rings, and Earrings", Hesperia Supplements (1949), Vol. 8, 305-323, 475-480, p. 316-17, no. 20, pl. 42.20-20a.
Fogg Art Museum, The David Moore Robinson Bequest of Classical Art and Antiquities, A Special Exhibition, exh. cat., Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, 1961), p. 42, no. 386
John Bodel and Stephen Tracy, Greek and Latin Inscriptions in the USA: A checklist, American Academy in Rome (New York, 1997), p. 49.

Exhibition History

The David Moore Robinson Bequest of Classical Art and Antiquities: A Special Exhibition, Fogg Art Museum, 05/01/1961 - 09/20/1961

Subjects and Contexts

Ancient Bronzes

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

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1960.633: Ring with Intaglio Design: Woman with Wreath and Flutes, Inscription