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Gold ring with cameo glass portrait of the Emperor Augustus

1st half of 1st century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 166
Many such small decorative items were probably made as gifts for friends and supporters of Augustus and his dynasty. At the top end of the scale were real sardonyx cameos, made for those with close family ties, while at the other end were plain glass medallions, mass produced for distribution to soldiers in the imperial army, who wore them as phalerae (medallions) on their armor.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Gold ring with cameo glass portrait of the Emperor Augustus
  • Period: Early Imperial, Augustan or Julio-Claudian
  • Date: 1st half of 1st century CE
  • Culture: Roman
  • Medium: Gold with glass
  • Dimensions: Overall: 3/4 x 5/8 x 1in. (1.9 x 1.6 x 2.5cm)
  • Classifications: Gold and Silver, Glass
  • Credit Line: Gift of Robert Haber and The Artemis Group, 1995
  • Object Number: 1995.85.1
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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Gold ring: 3 box settings on the bezel and cloisons on the sides, Gold, sard, glass paste, Cypriot
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6th century BCE
Sardonyx cameo portrait of the Emperor Augustus, Sardonyx, Roman
Sardonyx cameo portrait of the Emperor Augustus
Roman
ca. 41–54 CE
Gold triple-finger ring, Gold, glass, Roman, Syrian
Gold triple-finger ring
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3rd–4th century CE
Glass hexagonal amphoriskos, Glass, Roman
Glass hexagonal amphoriskos
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Gold ring with glass paste ring stone, Gold, glass paste, Cypriot
Gold ring with glass paste ring stone
Cypriot
8th–6th century BC

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