Getty Museum

Engraved Gem with Cassandra

Date

fourth quarter of 1st century B.C.

Medium

Amethyst

Culture

Roman

Department

Jewelry

Institution

Getty Museum

Type A2. Oval gem engraved with the image of a portrait bust of a female figure. She wears a laurel wreath with fillets and her long hair falls over her shoulders. Drapery covers her breasts, but not her shoulder or arms. The woman has variously been identified as Cassandra, a Sibyl, a priestess and a Muse. The laurel wreath and fillets do suggest a priestess or oracle of Apollo, and either a Sibyl or Cassandra is appropriate.

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