Roman Gold Ring with Snake

£ 1,300.00

A finely modelled Ancient Roman solid gold ring, formed from a single stout of wire in the shape of a snake, wrapped around itself with its head turned out. The serpentinning movement starts from the lower part of the ring and then reaches the upper part, where the snake’s neck twists into the infinite symbol. The spirals and the head of the serpent are rendered in a realistic manner through a series of small engraved lines. UK ring size T. Weight: 4.9 g.

Date: Circa 1st-3rd Century AD
Condition: Extremely fine. The ring is suitable for modern wear with care.

SOLD

Product Code: RES-69
Category: Tags: , ,

Jewellery, such as bracelets, necklaces and rings, shaped as snakes were extremely popular in Antiquity, having being recovered across Ancient Greece and across the Roman Empire. Snake-inspired jewels held many amuletic connotations. In particular, snakes were associated with the healing snake of Asclepius, the Roman god of medicine and science.

To discover more about jewellery in the Ancient World, please visit our relevant post: Jewellery in Antiquity.

Dimensions W 2 cm
Metal

Gold

Region

Southern Europe

Reference: For a similar item, The Metropolitan Museum, accession number 10.130.1509.

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