Getty Museum

Ring inset with intaglio representing Artemis

Date

225–175 B.C.

Medium

Ring: gold; gem: cornelian

Culture

Greek

Department

Jewelry

Institution

Getty Museum

This massive gold signet ring was designed to be worn across the fingers and used as a seal. Composed of an oval cabochon carnelian inset into a bezel hammered from sheet gold and surrounded by four repoussé gold bands, it is an extraordinary example of a well-known type of Hellenistic ring favored in Ptolemaic Egypt. The image of the goddess of hunting, Artemis to the Greeks and Diana to the Romans, is engraved into the surface of the stone in order to produce a relief impression. Here she is shown leaning on a pillar, bow and quiver over her shoulder, reaching toward the head of a stag. The portrait-like quality of the goddess’s face has been noted, and her features (the large Ptolemaic eye and the pointed nose) have been attributed to Queen Arsinoe II (ca. 316 – ca. 270 BC).

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