A Massive 19th-century Ring Made Of Chiseled Gold, Set With A Nicolo Intaglio. Portrait Of Juno.
Nicolo intaglio, 9 × 14 mm
Chiseled gold ring; TDD FR 52½; weight 10 g.
Owl-head hallmark on the band (18-karat imported gold, applied after 1893)
Ring and intaglio, mid-19th century.
Heavy ring; the oval bezel rises in three molded and fluted steps to the closed setting; the shoulders, tapering toward a rounded band, are engraved on either side with a flowering stem within a pointed cartouche above facing foliage scrolls; the lower part of the band features a hatched frieze. The owl-head hallmark stamped on the band is the French import mark for 18-karat foreign gold, in use from 1893: it merely attests to the ring’s late entry into France and indicates that it was made abroad well before that date.
The nicolo, a double-layered carved onyx, depicts a veiled woman’s head in right-side profile: the veil falls from the top of the head over the nape of the neck and onto the shoulder; the hair is arranged in short curls across the forehead, and a diadem is visible beneath the veil. The profile is straight, the chin firm, the neck long—the Greek ideal as understood in the 19th century, precisely engraved and polished.
Historical Context
Around the mid-19th century, Italian goldsmiths turned to the forms of Roman jewelry, and the massive ring with a stepped setting and chiseled shoulders—heavy in the hand, understated in ornamentation—is one example of this style. The nicolo, the Romans’ preferred stone for seals, was recut in the 19th century precisely for this purpose: an antique-looking gem in an antique-looking setting, for a Grand Tour collector or their heirs.
Iconography and Symbolism
The veiled head adorned with a diadem is the typical image of Juno, queen of the gods, as she appears on Roman coins and gemstones: the veil is the flammeum of a married woman, the diadem symbolizes her sovereignty. Juno Regina watched over marriage and the month of June, which still bears her name; as Jupiter’s wife and sister, she is the only goddess who is his equal.
Chiseled gold ring; TDD FR 52½; weight 10 g.
Owl-head hallmark on the band (18-karat imported gold, applied after 1893)
Ring and intaglio, mid-19th century.
Heavy ring; the oval bezel rises in three molded and fluted steps to the closed setting; the shoulders, tapering toward a rounded band, are engraved on either side with a flowering stem within a pointed cartouche above facing foliage scrolls; the lower part of the band features a hatched frieze. The owl-head hallmark stamped on the band is the French import mark for 18-karat foreign gold, in use from 1893: it merely attests to the ring’s late entry into France and indicates that it was made abroad well before that date.
The nicolo, a double-layered carved onyx, depicts a veiled woman’s head in right-side profile: the veil falls from the top of the head over the nape of the neck and onto the shoulder; the hair is arranged in short curls across the forehead, and a diadem is visible beneath the veil. The profile is straight, the chin firm, the neck long—the Greek ideal as understood in the 19th century, precisely engraved and polished.
Historical Context
Around the mid-19th century, Italian goldsmiths turned to the forms of Roman jewelry, and the massive ring with a stepped setting and chiseled shoulders—heavy in the hand, understated in ornamentation—is one example of this style. The nicolo, the Romans’ preferred stone for seals, was recut in the 19th century precisely for this purpose: an antique-looking gem in an antique-looking setting, for a Grand Tour collector or their heirs.
Iconography and Symbolism
The veiled head adorned with a diadem is the typical image of Juno, queen of the gods, as she appears on Roman coins and gemstones: the veil is the flammeum of a married woman, the diadem symbolizes her sovereignty. Juno Regina watched over marriage and the month of June, which still bears her name; as Jupiter’s wife and sister, she is the only goddess who is his equal.
4 200 €
Period: 19th century
Style: Rome and Antic Greece
Condition: Excellent condition
Material: Gold
Reference (ID): 1820092
Availability: In stock
Print
