Modern gold ring with Roman gem depicting a bull

ITEM: Modern ring with Roman gem depicing a bull
MATERIAL: Gold, 18 carats and Carnelian
CULTURE: Roman
PERIOD: 1st - 2nd Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: ES 19, F 59, USA 8,7, 20 mm x 21 mm, 3,3 gr
CONDITION: Good condition. Original gem within a modern handmade gold (18 carats) ring.
PROVENANCE: Ex European private collection, Ex Galerie Mythes et Legends (1989), Ex private collection, J. P., Zúrich, Switzerland

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export Licence. If you are from outside the European Union, we will have to apply for the export licence again for your country, this takes 3 to 5 weeks and has a cost of 5% of the hammer price, this amount will be added to the final invoice.

The iconography of bulls in the Roman period was deeply symbolic, reflecting themes of power, fertility, and religious devotion. Bulls were often associated with strength and dominance, making them a popular motif in both public and private art. In military contexts, the bull was linked to the legions, particularly in the form of standards and insignia, emphasizing resilience and conquest. In civic and architectural decoration, bull heads (bucrania) frequently adorned friezes and altars, symbolizing sacrifice and prosperity. This imagery, inherited from earlier Greek and Etruscan traditions, reinforced Rome’s connection to divine favor and agricultural abundance.

One of the most significant religious associations of bulls in Roman iconography was with the cult of Mithras. The central act of Mithraic worship was the tauroctony, or bull-slaying scene, in which the god Mithras is depicted killing a sacred bull. This act was believed to bring cosmic renewal and salvation, making the bull an essential symbol of life, death, and rebirth within this mystery religion. Bulls also appeared in official state religion, particularly in sacrifices (suovetaurilia), where they were offered to gods such as Mars and Jupiter as part of purification and military rites. The bull’s presence in these ceremonies underscored its role as a conduit between the mortal and divine realms.

Beyond religious and military contexts, bulls also appeared in Roman economic life, particularly in relation to agriculture and trade. Cattle were vital for farming, transportation, and food production, and their imagery sometimes adorned coins, frescoes, and mosaics to signify wealth and rural prosperity. The symbolic weight of the bull extended into Roman mythology as well, with figures like the Minotaur blending human and bovine elements to represent the untamed forces of nature and civilization’s struggle to control them. Through these various depictions, the bull remained an enduring emblem of Roman values, bridging the spheres of power, piety, and productivity.