Greek
A large Greek lapis lazuli ring, Hellenistic, circa 3rd - 2nd century BC
Lapis lazuli
Length of bezel: 3 cm
Of substantial proportions, carved from lapis lazuli, the ring is rounded on the exterior and on the interior. The shoulders broaden towards the large flaring oval flat bezel.
Of substantial proportions, carved from lapis lazuli, the ring is rounded on the exterior and on the interior. The shoulders broaden towards the large flaring oval flat bezel.
Provenance
Jean Sigrist Collection, Basel, acquired in the 1960s - 1970s
With Galerie Nefer, Zurich, 2002
Swiss private collection, acquired from the above
Literature
The form of this large and impressive ring is characteristic of the Hellenistic period. Rings of this shape were made in a variety of materials, including gold, glass, and ivory. Lapis lazuli was a highly prized luxury material and this ring would have been a statement of wealth and power.For the shape of the ring, see D. Plantzos, Hellenistic Engraved Gems, Oxford, 1999: Type IV-V. For a similar black glass ring from Alexandria, now in a private collection, see J. Spier & J. Ogden, Rings of the Ancient World, Weisbaden, 2015, no. 31, pp. 82-3. For a similar ring made to mimic lapis in blue iridescent glass, see V. Arveiller-Dulong and M.-D. Nenna, Les verres antiques du Musée du Louvre, vol. III, Paris, 2011, p. 247, no. 347.