Works of Art
Greek Gold Ring with Engraved Heracles
Period: Early 4th century B.C.
Culture: Classical
Category:
Dimensions: L. of bezel 2.16cm
Price: SOLD
Provenance: Ex European private collection; collected in the 1960s
Condition: The state of preservation for this ring, which is solid gold, is excellent: except for some superficial scratches due to its use, it is intact.
Description
The bezel of this perfectly well preserved solid gold ring is engraved with the figure of a standing Heracles. In a relaxed, classical pose, he turns his beautifully designed head to the left; he is shown in profile, the body in a nearly full frontal view. The hero’s outstretched right leg, with the foot pointing to the left, rests firmly on the ground line, while his left leg is slightly bent. He reaches his right arm forward and rests his lowered left arm on his club.
The artist combined fine workmanship with excellent artistic quality. The beautiful, beardless head and muscular body capture the juvenile appearance of Heracles.
Bibliography
For more on the shape of the ring, see J. Boardman, Greek Gems and Finger Rings, Early Bronze Age to Late Classical (1972). For a similar finger ring in Berlin, see A. Greifenhagen, Schmuckarbeiten in Edelmetall, vol. 2 (1975), pl. 55, 1–3. For similarly engraved gems, see G. Lippold, Gemmen und Kameen des Altertums und der Neuzeit (1922), pl. 36–39. For sculptural representations of the youthful Heracles, see A Passion for Antiquities: Ancient Art from the Collection of Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman (1994), no. 100; and Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae, vol. 4 (1988), pl. 464ff., 745f.