Roman Gold Ring with Emerald Portrait of Young Marcus Aurelius CIRCA 140 A.D. A high-quality emerald (green beryl) intaglio portrait of Marcus Aurelius as a young man, in profile left; the military cloak (paludamentum) in connection with the extreme youth of the subject suggesting that the portrait is not a private one, but must be of an imperial prince; the style of the carving and hairstyle of the subject clearly belong in the Antonine era; the material too suggests an imperial subject: the stone, hard, brittle and very difficult to carve, was highly prestigious in such large sizes; Roman examples of such portraits in emerald or aquamarine are very rare and usually represent members of the imperial family; the cabochon set into a contemporary gold finger ring comprising a flat-section hoop with granules to the shoulders and an ellipsoid bezel. Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 367, for ring type; also for ring/bezel shape Koch coll. no.349 (2nd-3rd century); and for the bezel see Marshall, F. H., Catalogue of the Finger Rings, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman, in the British Museum, 1907, 87, no.509. (1 in.). 5.92 grams, 26.22 mm overall, 17.48 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13). Acquired 1970-1990. Ex property of a deceased lady. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.114493-195583. Dr Ittai Gradel writes: 'The portrait in all likelihood represents Marcus Aurelius as a young prince and heir to the imperial throne, c. AD 140. The only possible alternative would appear to be his son Commodus as a youth, c. 175 AD. Like young Marcus, Commodus’ youth portrait is well known from coins (and sculpture). Young Commodus’ hair is rather less curly, however, his neck thinner and his whole appearance rather more delicate and effete than the youth portraits of his father, which seem to fit the gem image better; further, the split in the hair fringe on the forehead seems a deliberate attempt to reproduce he characteristic hair parting in the same location in young Marcus’ main (only) sculptural portrait type. Though a close call, Marcus rather than Commodus should therefore be the subject here.' [A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website].