French Revolution Antique Gold Intaglio Signet Seal Ring First Empire Sceau

A very unusual antique gold ring set with a carved brown and white hardstone cameo depicting the theatrical comic mask of Silenus, the Greek mythological old rustic god of wine-making and drunkenness. The ring was made in the late 19th century and carries French control marks for 18K gold, whilst the cameo is probably Italian and made slightly earlier, circa 1800. Silenus was a companion to the wine god Dionysus, and suitably he was a notorious consumer of wine, usually drunk and supported by satyrs or carried by a donkey. Silenus was described as the oldest, wisest and most drunken of the followers of Dionysus, and was said to possess special knowledge and the power of prophecy when intoxicated. He presides over the other satyrs and is related to musical creativity, prophetic ecstasy, drunken joy and drunken dances. Silenus was usually depicted as a jovial old man, bald yet bearded, with a pot-belly, thick lips and snub-nose. The masks worn to play him in theatre really emphasised these features, as you can see with this cameo carving Theatre was a key part of ancient Greek culture. The theatrical masks worn by the actors, known as ‘prosopon’, served various purposes. They enabled individual actors to play multiple roles (or genders) in the same performance; the exaggerated expressions helped define the character being portrayed; they helped spectators in the back rows to tell the characters apart. This particular masked as mentioned before is a comedic Silenus, please see final photo for other examples of Silenus masks in museum collections. UK size N 1/2, US size 7 4.84g 18K gold French ‘tête...

A traditional antique Portuguese steel and gold signet ring, dating from the early 20th century, circa 1900. The ring shows a coat of arms which has been engraved onto an oval stee...

A fine antique signet ring. In solid silver. Bezel-set with an antique 18th Century Wedgwood & Bentley black basalt stoneware intaglio seal. The intaglio depicts Harpocrates stand...

An antique carnelian intaglio signet ring made in 9k yellow gold. A true piece of history, this exquisite ring features a beautifully carved carnelian intaglio stone set in a classi...