The art of glyptics, or carving on colored
precious stones, is probably one of the oldest
known to humanity. Intaglios, gems with an
incised design, were made as early as the fourth
and third millennia BC in Mesopotamia and
Aegean Islands. They display a virtuosity of
execution that suggests and old and stable
tradition rooted in the earliest centuries. The
tools required for carving gems were simple: a
wheel with a belt-drive and a set of drills.
Abrasives were necessary since the minerals
used were too hard for a metal edge. A special
difficulty of engraving intaglios, aside from their
miniature size, was that the master had to work
with a mirror image in mind.
Janus was the god of doors and gates, and one of
the most important deities in Rome. Being
double-headed he was capable of facing two
directions at once, as does a door, symbolizing
the beginning and end of things. Janus tended to
be focused more on beginnings, most notably as
the eponym (founder) of the month January.
During times of peace, his temple (Janus
Geminus) in Rome was closed; an event which
occurred all too rarely. On this handsome
intaglio Janus is shown in his usual
personification as a double-headed man wearing
beards with lovely locks of hair flowing in
between the heads. Janus was very popular on
early Roman coinage, since he was believed to
have invented money. In some legends he was in
fact a king who created a Golden Age where all
people lived happy and prosperous lives. What
more perfect deity to grace this beautiful gold
ring!
- (FJ.6501)
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