Bidspirit auction | LATE ROMAN / EARLY BYZANTINE

LATE ROMAN / EARLY BYZANTINE CARNELIAN INTAGLIO DEPICTING ANT IN HIGH KARAT GOLD RING - Ca. AD A00 - 600. A carnelian intaglio engraved with an ant, its body rendered with a segmented thorax and pronounced legs extending from either side. The stone is set in a possibly later gold ring with a high bezel and a ribbed collar; the ring is formed from a tightly coiled double-strand hoop.For similar see: D. Del Bufalo, Catalogo illustrato della Glittica nella Collezione Santarelli, n. i. 50/23c.Size: D:15.39mm / US: 4 1/2 / UK: I 1/2; Weight: 3gProvenance: Private London collection; formerly in South German private collection 1980s-early1990s.