Cameo with a Man Reading from a Scroll Set in a Ring
This cameo depicts a bearded man, seated and holding a scroll. Behind him is another man reading aloud with his hands raised. This scene, taken from daily life, illustrates the importance of literature in the Roman world. The ring has an oval bezel with scrolled shoulders and a convex hoop with acanthus ornament.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Charles Newton-Robinson, London, by 1904, [mode of acquisition unknown]; Charles Newton-Robinson sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 22 June 1909, lot 92; Dikran Kelekian, Paris and New York, 1909, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1909, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
1979-1980 | Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Roman Empire
(Place of Origin)
Europe (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Diam: 5/8 in. (1.6 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1909
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
42.1344