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Oval gem with head of male in Phrygian cap, probably Men
Roman
Imperial Period
2nd century A.D.
Medium/Technique
Carnelian
Dimensions
Length: 11.8 x 8 mm (7/16 x 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Burton Y. Berry in memory of Michel Chiha of Beirut
Accession Number69.1206
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Gems
DescriptionOrange carnelian. Intaglio. Flat front and back surfaces with deep inward back bezel. The head of a young male faces in profile to left. He dons a Phrygian cap from under which his hair peeks out and falls across his forehead and down his neck. His hair and facial features are rendered with small grooves. Between the base of his neck and the edge of the gem is a crescent shape, which is very small and slight in appearance. This suggests that the figure on the gem is Men, the Phrygian god of the moon, agricultural fertility, and healing who was worshipped in Asia Minor.
ProvenanceBy date unknown: Burton Y. Berry Collection; gift to MFA from Burton Y. Berry in Memory of Michel Chiha of Beirut, October 15, 1969