Artwork Page for Ring with Hippocampus

Details / Information for Ring with Hippocampus

Ring with Hippocampus

100–200 CE

Italy, Roman

Medium
gold
Measurements
Diameter: 2 cm (13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1916.101
Public Domain
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Location
103 Roman
Print
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Did You Know?

In Greek and Roman art, water spirits or nereids are often depicted riding hippocampi.

Description

This delicate gold ring is decorated with a tiny hippocampus, a creature from Greco-Roman mythology with the forequarters of a horse and the tail of a fish. Stylized waves bracket the hippocampus, crashing up against its tail and front hooves. The thin band of the ring is decorated with horizontal lines to the halfway point on both sides.
A gold ring features a thin, circular hoop that widens into a platform topped with a small, molded creature. With the head and forelegs of a horse and a coiled, fish-like tail, the figure faces right. Decorative scrolls and spheres border the platform on both sides. Near the top, the band's sides are embellished with a notched, rope-like texture. The piece is rendered in solid gold with few fine details.

Ring with Hippocampus

100–200 CE

Italy, Roman

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