Intaglio with Animals and an Ouroboros Set in a Pin
Date:
1st-4th century CE
Description:
This intaglio depicts a bundle, possibly a representation of Amon, lying on a table or couch. On the right is an ox-headed serpent, and on the left is a monster formed from the head of a ram, the neck of a snake, and the body of a goat. Characters are above and below. On the very top is a oval enclosing five stars, and on the bottom is a four-legged animal, perhaps a jackal or a fox. The entire image is sorrounded by an ouroboros (a snake eating its own tail). The intaglio is mounted in gold as a stick pin. The reverse is plain.For the latest information about this object, amulets; stickpins, visit art.thewalters.org.Dynasty: Inscriptions: [Inscription] Below stars: magical characters and HB; [Inscription] Below the main design, two lines of characters and some lettersReign: Style:
Henry Walters, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sadie Jones (Mrs. Henry Walters), New York, 1931, by inheritance; Mrs. Henry Walters Sale, Joseph Brummer, New York, 1942; Walters Art Museum, 1942, by purchase.
Medium:
pale yellow carnelian; mount: gold
Extent:
Dimensions: H: 1 1/16 x W: 3/4 x D: 3/16 in. (2.7 x 1.9 x 0.5 cm)
