Georgian 18th Century Signet Ring with Ancient Roman Nicolo Intaglio of Hercules

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 fantastic French 19th century Neorenaissance silver intaglio ring, in the manner of Jules Wièse and Froment-Meurice, circa 1840. The milky blue ...

A scarce and small ancient Roman gold Medusa cameo ring, circa 2nd to 3rd century AD. The carved layered onyx gemstone is white in colour and depicts the bust of Medusa engraved wit...

An exceptionally rare late 13th century Medieval period gold ring, made either France or England, circa 1280! This Medieval high-karat gold ring is set with a large 11ct irregular-s...

Sard intaglio of Athene holding Nike. The “large” intaglio is set in 15 ct gold ca 1820. Measurement of bezel:19 x 17 mm Size 7

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We are delighted to offer this captivating antique Georgian 10ct gold cameo ring made c.1820. The ring is set with a central carnelian cameo (possibly an earlier carving) of a Roman...

An 14 carat yellow gold ring with an oval agate intaglio depicting Hippocrates or Asclepios - gold of medicine, the shoulders engraved with curls, 19th century. weight: 5.3 grams ...