A LARGE JUDAICA CARNELIAN CAMEO, LATE ROMAN-BYZANTINE, CIRCA 4TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.

拍品描述

A LARGE JUDAICA CARNELIAN CAMEO, LATE ROMAN-BYZANTINE, CIRCA 4TH-6TH CENTURY A.D. Carnelian, finely carved in high relief. Dimensions: 40 × 33 mm. A rare and finely executed oval carnelian cameo carved with an elaborate Jewish sacred composition centred on an architectural Torah Ark (Aron Kodesh) beneath a draped canopy, flanked by a pair of seven-branched Temple menorahs. Additional ritual emblems comprise a shofar, lulav, and two ritual vessels, while the lower register is occupied by opposing Lions of Judah, symbols of divine guardianship and the Tribe of Judah. The reverse is plain, displaying the natural translucent orange-red structure of the stone. The iconographic programme closely reflects the repertoire of Late Antique Jewish synagogue art and represents an exceptionally uncommon survival in glyptic sculpture. The quality of the carving, harmonious composition, and extensive Judaic symbolism place the work within the Late Antique Jewish artistic tradition, although its precise date and origin remain subjects for specialist examination.

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