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Oval gem with Augustus as Neptune, mounting a sea-chariot
Roman
Early Imperial Period
31–27 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Carnelian
Dimensions
Overall: 1.7 x 2.1 cm (5/8 x 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bartlett Collection—Museum purchase with funds from the Francis Bartlett Donation of 1912
Accession Number27.733
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Gems
Catalogue Raisonné
Lewes House Gems, no. 105 (1920; 2002, additional published references).
DescriptionRed-orange carnelian; the top surface is lightly bleached. Intaglio, set in a modern gold ring. The first Roman emperor, Augustus, represented as Neptune, the god of the sea, steps into a chariot drawn by four sea-horses through a turbulent sea. He holds a trident in his right hand while his left hand grasps the reins. The side of the chariot is just visible by his left thigh. Below, a dolphin and young triton (merman) act as escorts. At the top, the gem is inscribed in retrograde in Greek letters ΠΟΠΙΛ ΑΛΒΑΝ (Popil[lius] Alban[us]), which is likely the name of the gem's owner. The bleaching was probably caused by fire.
InscriptionsΠΟΠΙΛ ΑΛΒΑΝ
ProvenanceSaid to have been found Hadrumetum (present-day Sousse), Tunisia [see note 1]. Count Michel Tyszkiewicz (b. 1828 - d. 1897), Paris; June 8-10, 1898, Tyszkiewicz sale, Hotel des Commissaires-Priseurs, Paris, lot 290. By 1926, Edward Perry Warren (b. 1860 - d. 1928), London; 1927, sold by Edward Perry Warren to the MFA for $161,000 [see note 2]. (Accession Date: November 17, 1927)
NOTES: [1] According to the 1898 Tyszkiewicz catalogue entry. [2] Total price paid for MFA accession nos. 27.647-27.761.
NOTES: [1] According to the 1898 Tyszkiewicz catalogue entry. [2] Total price paid for MFA accession nos. 27.647-27.761.