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Oval gem with a portrait bust of a young man and inscription
Roman
Republican Period
1st century B.C.
Medium/Technique
Jasper
Dimensions
Overall: 0.3 x 1.2 x 1.6 cm (1/8 x 1/2 x 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bartlett Collection—Museum purchase with funds from the Francis Bartlett Donation of 1912
Accession Number23.591
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Gems
Catalogue Raisonné
Lewes House Gems, no. 121 (1920; 2002, additional published references).
DescriptionBlack jasper. Intaglio; flat front and back with inward back bezel and short inward front bezel. A portrait of a young man. His head is in profile to the left while his chest is in three-quarters view. His hair is combed forward over his forehead and he wears a light beard. The gem is inscribed in Greek: P.PAITINI and SEPTIKIAN, possibly the owner’s name, P. Paetinius Septicianus.
InscriptionsΠ∙ΠΑΙΤΙΝΙ
ΣΕΠΤΙΚΙΑΝ
ΣΕΠΤΙΚΙΑΝ
ProvenanceBy date unknown: with Edward Perry Warren (according to J. D. Beazley, The Lewes House Collection of Ancient Gems, no. 121: from the Morrison Collection [Morrison Sale Catalogue, pl. 2, no. 201]; formerly in the possession of Saulini at Rome); November 21, 1923: purchased by MFA from Edward Perry Warren for $ 32,948.27 (this figure is the total purchase price for MFA 23.576-23.594)