Engraved Gem Inset Into a Ring

The carved intaglio on the stone of this ring reproduces the head of one of the most famous Greek statues ever made, the Doryphoros by the artist Polykleitos, fashioned about 440 B.C. Polykleitos created this statue to illustrate his aesthetic theories. All of Polykleitos's works were very popular with the Romans in the first centuries B.C. and A.D. Roman artists created huge numbers of replicas and variations of his sculptural work, in addition to reproducing them in other media, as shown here.

In Roman society, which placed a high emphasis on display, this ring with its carved intaglio set into a heavy gold ring advertised the wearer's wealth as well as culture and learning.