Lot 1441
Romano-Egyptian Gold Serapis and Isis Ring, ca. 1st Century AD. A Egyptian ring made under Roman rule, of the god Serapis and goddess Isis. It is made of one piece of gold twisted around two times and terminating on one side with a stylized bust of Isis on one end and a stylized Serapis on the other; both deities are rendered in the form of cobras. Choice condition. Completely intact and wearable. Measures: 6 ring size; Weighs: 5.5 gm.
Cobras were honored and worshipped for their protective qualities. There is a myth were Ra was bitten by a snake made by Isis, from soil and Ra's saliva. Isis agreed to heal Ra if he told her his true name. With this agreement she was then known as "mistress of the gods, who knows Ra by his own name." Serapis, who by this point was interchangeable with Osiris, was the consort of Isis and the pair embodied the forces of male and female fertility. Very similar ring is on the British Museums Online collection, Museum # 1926,0407.12.
Estimated Value $3,000 - 4,000.
Ex Harlan J. Berk Collection, Ltd. 2000.
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| Realized $3,240 |
