Ancient Roman Apollo and Salus intaglio ring. Set with an oval cornelian intaglio in a closed back rubover setting intricately carved with the god Apollo holding a staff and laurel wreath, the goddess Salus holding a snake entwined rod, and the staff of Asclepius in between, bordered by a fine wirework trim and flanked by six golden granules to each side, the openwork shank composed of two rounded wires which are fused together at reverse and highlighted with three gold pellets. Tested yellow gold, approximately 8.4g in weight, circa 3rd-4th century AD, accompanied by an Oxford Labs X-ray fluorescence report stating the composition of the metal.
The intaglio set in this ring is carved with minute precision, each line building up the image which is crisply executed. This is a museum quality ring, and a very fine example of Ancient Roman craftsmanship, showcasing several highly technical goldworking techniques, in excellent condition.
