158 - ROMAN ENGRAVING ON A SCARAB SEAL.

ROMAN ENGRAVING ON A SCARAB SEAL. Shepherd and his flock. Latin inscriptions. Agate Dimensions: 1.2 x 1.4 x 0.5 cm Late Republican Roman art, 1st century B.C., Provenance Former private collection of Mr. R., acquired on the French art market between the 1900s and the early 2000s Scaraboid seal made of agate, drilled lengthwise to be strung and worn, engraved in intaglio on its convex side. The bucolic scene depicts a shepherd leaning with both hands on his staff (pedum), dressed in a short tunic and a chlamys, bending toward three sheep gathered at his feet. In the field, an abbreviated Latin inscription—B·HIL / M·AL—the name of an owner. The shape, the hole, and the craftsmanship indicate an older scaraboid seal that was reused during the Late Republican period; the Latin inscription likely marks this reuse. The reuse of engraved seals—reclaimed, reassembled, and sometimes re-inscribed at the whim of their successive owners—is a constant feature of ancient glyptics, and lends the stone the interest of a documented history as an object. The image of the shepherd watching over his flock belongs to the pastoral repertoire, evoking the peace of the countryside and rustic otium. A reused agate engraved scaraboid seal depicting a Late Republican scene. Shepherd with a Latin inscription. 1st century BCE.