Goddess Fortuna Carnelian Roman Ring, Imperial Era, 1st-2nd c AD, Provenance

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Goddess Fortuna Carnelian Roman Ring, Imperial Era, 1st-2nd c AD, Provenance

About the Item

Ring with the Goddess Fortuna Roman art, beginning of the imperial era (1st-2nd century AD) Carnelian Measure: D 2.35 cm The ring, almost circular in shape at the bottom, has an angular shoulder; it was carefully hammered into a thin sheet of gold. It widens in the upper part where it is enriched with an elliptical cabochon in dark red carnelian, which is decorated with a female figure engraved in relief in the hollow. The woman is seen from three quarters and turned to the right. Her attitude is very "classic": she is standing, her body resting on the left leg advanced while the right foot is slightly behind and raised from the ground. She wears a long chiton to her feet, while a large tiara surrounds her head. Despite the small size of the image, the attributes it carries make it easy to identify it with Fortuna (the Tyche of the Greeks): on its right it holds the horn of plenty (the cornucopia, a large horn full of fruit of the earth), while on the left we see elongated objects, in which we recognize ears of wheat; on the bottom of the image there is a rudder, symbol of the precariousness of the fate of men. In the classical world, Tyché / Fortuna, is the personification of fortune and chance. Unknown to Homeric poems, Fortuna acquired importance over the centuries, to the point of becoming an omnipotent deity in Hellenistic and Roman times: she was the protector of the destiny of a city, but at the same time she could play mortal life with a rudder stroke or by bouncing a ball. Here, the presence of cereals also brings it closer to Ceres, the goddess of vegetation particularly linked to the harvest. Conservation Complete and in excellent condition. The wear marks are due to its ancient use. Bibliography Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (LIMC), vol. VIII, Zurich, 1997, s.v. Tyché and Tyché / Fortuna, pp. 115-141 (cf. especially p. 136, nos. 168, a-d).

Dimensions:
Height: 0.79 in (2 cm)Diameter: 0.91 in (2.3 cm)
Style:
Classical Greek (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Gold,Hand-Crafted
Place of Origin:
Greece
Period:
15th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
1st-2nd Century AD
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Sofia, BG
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2423319531862