Getty acquires Hellenistic rock crystal garden ring

"The J. Paul Getty Museum has acquired a masterpiece of Hellenistic jewelry: an elaborate gold ring with a miniature gold and enamel garden scene in a box-shaped bezel under a domed rock crystal cover. Created around 150 B.C., the ring is in impeccable condition, and one of the finest surviving examples of late Hellenistic box bezel rings. The bezel is oval and outlined around the crystal cabochon with beads of gold granulation."

"The sizes of the bezel are decorated with finely granulated beads in a lozenge design. The bouquet features one large gold flower with granulation beads in the center, filigree outlined petals and more granulation in the broad leaves underneath the blossom, filigree oak leaves and blue-green enamel accents. Two volutes with flowers in the curled sides form the top of the ring hoop where it connects to the bezel."

"The hoop is formed of strands of gold wire overlaid with filigree designs shaped like eyes or the knobs of the club of Herakles. The base of the hoop features a small garnet cabochon set on a Herakles knot with ivy leaf-shaped settings on each side that once held gemstones, now lost. It was first published in 1912 in a catalogue of the ring collection of the late Ernest Guilhou of Paris."

The ring dates to about 150 B.C. and features a box-shaped bezel with a domed rock crystal cover protecting a miniature gold and enamel garden scene. The oval bezel is outlined with gold granulation and decorated with finely granulated beads in a lozenge pattern. The central bouquet includes a large gold flower with granulation beads, filigree-outlined petals, broad leaves, filigree oak leaves and blue-green enamel accents. The hoop combines strands of gold wire, filigree motifs, a garnet cabochon set on a Herakles knot and two ivy-shaped settings that once held gems. The object has a documented provenance through early 20th-century catalogs and multiple auctions, achieved a final hammer price far above estimate, and will receive the Getty’s first in-depth study to support interpretation and display.

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