engraved gem showing Artemis

engraved gem showing Artemis

This engraving in purplish blue amethyst (transparent and of uniform colour) on a horizontal base line depicts the goddess Artemis. She is shown standing in profile facing left, with her right knee bent and left leg straight. The Goddess wears hunting dress; her arms and legs are bare, she wears high sandals and carries a quiver on her shoulders. She is about to lean against a small column in front of her. In her hands she holds two torches, the flames of which lick a small rock situated below her to the left, while another larger rock is positioned behind the Goddess. In this gem, which depicts a torch-bearing Artemis, the gentleness of the Greek model blends perfectly with the clarity of the artistic language of the Augustan age.