ROMAN INTAGLIO, CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY AD
The oval garnet intaglio carved to depict a putto teasing a hare with a carrot, set in a later gold signet ring, the bezel with Lombardic Latin inscription reading 'SIGILLUM SECRETI' (Secret Seal), to a tapering hoop, size M
Footnotes:
For a similar ring in the British Museum, see exhibit no. AF.556.

Aside from hunting scenes, one may find ancient depictions of hares as embodiments of the love of a man for a woman, or as expressions of homosexual love. Both hares and putti were widely considered to represent fertility and sexual desire, and were thus associated with the circle of life, spring, renewal and immortality. The practice of incorporating ancient Roman intaglios into inscribed settings was a primarily English practice in the 12th and 13th centuries. Growth in trade led to an increase in the use of seals for written correspondence by merchants and landowners. Individual seal impressions were used to authenticate documents or indicate confidentiality. Whilst the gems in these signets were typically only used as means of identification, the symbol of a hare may have resonated with medieval English society as an emblem of status and prosperity; both hares and rabbits were a much sought-after source of meat and fur and throughout the medieval era the right to hunt and kill any beast was a privilege granted by the king.

Provenance: From an American collection acquired in the 1980s.