Featured Help me understand what this is and who is depicted.

interesting intaglio, glad that it remained with us. Still, probably the bird is an eagle. Regarding the hair with wreaths, I thought it was a helmet...

 

Regarding the age, do you think the intaglio could be from the Roman period, 2-3 centuries?

 

I found these intaglios with Jupiter-Zeus.

I'll go back to the bird on our intaglio, I still don't understand what the bird has on the right - a shield? In the last photo where three figures are carved, Jupiter has a statuette of Victoria on his hand and the statuette on the side has a similar shield. And in general, there is a great similarity between the statuette and the bird on our intaglio...
Can a bird hold a shield?) I didn't find anything like that

 

Think the eagle is often depicted with its wings slightly opened, so this may be what suggests a shield.



In this one*:




I think what is in the field in front of him represents his lightning bolt. On the Poniatowski gems it became standardized on the shield of Mars, like this:

 

* Can you provide a link to the source of this image? There is something else I would like to know about it that relates to your gem.

 

Just saw this:

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/ite..._20230912_A&utm_medium=email&utm_content=item



They say it is bending down its head, but I can't really see that either.

 

I didn't understand which photo you mean, so I attached two links. In my intaglio you can see that the eagle has raised its head up, its beak sticking up.

https://medaillesetantiques.bnf.fr/ws/catalogue/app/collection/record/ark:/12148/c33gb1dp7b

https://bertolamifineart.bidinside.com/en/lot/114179/a-roman-chalcedony-intaglio-serapis-/

 

Photo

 

I meant the second one, but it didn't answer my question because they didn't show the gem from any other angle. Trying to establish whether Roman Imperial intaglios were likely to have the stone dressed to the shape of yours:

 

OK, I could buy that. But wonder what it really meant in its time. Does not accord well with our idea of a proud, regal bird. I could invent something: head held high, Jupiter/Zeus in the form of an eagle; head lowered, the eagle that serves the god bowing in obeisance. Latter would be appropriate in a soldier's ring.

 

photo

 

photo

 

This is what I could find now. Specifically, Roman intaglios.

As for the eagle, I don't know what is depicted on the side.

As for Ganymede, it seems to me that he has some kind of vessel in his hand and water is depicted flowing in a circle. This is how a stream of water is depicted figuratively.

 

I looked at many Roman intaglios and I can say that the carving on our intaglio is much more elegant. The lines are clear! It looks aesthetically much better than what I see on others. And these elongated necks (like giraffes) of Zeus and Ganymede give a special charm to the intaglio. Very unusual and at the same time beautiful.

 

I started to wonder why Jupiter and Ganymede have long necks on my intaglio and whether this was the case in Rome at all.
In the end, it turned out to be very interesting! I attached two links about the long necks of emperors on Roman coins.
And I made an interesting discovery!!! On coins where emperors with long necks are depicted, Jupiter or an eagle is almost always depicted on the reverse side of the coin!! Apparently, emperors compared themselves to gods, and Jupiter was apparently once depicted with a long neck. But I did not find any information about this.

https://classicalassociationni.word...the-crowd-constans-and-his-go-go-gadget-neck/

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/long-neck.337783/#google_vignette

 

@ParisLS If you can find them again, could you please give me links for sites where you found photos illustrating the shape I am interested in? Would like more info about what we are looking at.

 

I hope you mean this:

https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/...man-red-jasper-intaglio-with-a-water-carrier/

https://www.ancient-art.co.uk/roman-empire/selection-of-ancient-roman-intaglios-with-male-figures/

https://www.ancient-art.co.uk/roman-empire/roman-green-stone-intaglio/

https://www.ancient-art.co.uk/roman-empire/large-roman-green-jasper-intaglio-of-medusa/

 

https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/...nt-roman-agate-intaglio-with-jupiter-serapis/

 

I'm amazed) where did they see an eagle here?)) obviously a dog with a tail)

https://www.orientalartauctions.com...upiter-seated-with-victory-2nd-3rd-century-ad