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Oval gem with head of balding man
Roman or modern
Imperial Period or Modern
about A.D. 100 or later
Medium/Technique
Carnelian
Dimensions
Length: 13.72 x 11.68 mm (9/16 x 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Theodora Wilbour Fund in memory of Zoë Wilbour
Accession Number64.146
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Gems
DescriptionRed carnelian. Intaglio. Convex front surface and slightly concave back surface with raised protrusion and with uneven inward front and back bezels. The head of a man faces left in profile. His hairline has vastly receded and the top of his head is completely bald. What hair remains is rendered in short, uniform, slightly curled locks. His face is sensitively carved, with a slightly bulging forehead, deep-set, expressive eye, indications of crow’s feet, and a three-dimensional quality to the cheek’s surface. It has been suggested that the figure on the gem is a portrait of Julius Caesar made during Trajan’s reign. It is not definitive, as there are some inconsistencies with known representations of Caesar.
There is a very faintly-carved retrograde Greek inscription carved below the head, which seems to read LULOS and may be the owner or artist’s signature.
There is a very faintly-carved retrograde Greek inscription carved below the head, which seems to read LULOS and may be the owner or artist’s signature.
ProvenanceOne of a group of gems purchased in Greece or Asia Minor in 1963 by Cornelius C. Vermeule III on behalf of MFA with funds approved in advance by the Trustees; accessioned March 11, 1964