3-044-329 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Engraved Ring with an Actor Holding a Theater Mask, 325-300 BC. Additional Info: The bezel of this gold ring is engraved with a draped actor, standing in three-quarter profile to the left and contemplating a mask held with both outstretched hands. A graffito in Greek letters reading SAMH (‘SAME’) is scratched into the gold behind the actor and is probably the name of the ring's owner.Engraved gold rings were often used as seals, but were also decorative items of jewelry. The depiction of an actor in this context perhaps symbolized the role of jewelry in shaping the wearer’s appearance. In the late 300s BC, a new ring form, a large round bezel on a heavy hoop, became popular. This ring shows the final transition from an oval to a round bezel.