The open-set carnelian intaglio with beveled edge in gold shows in deep relief the carved-out image of Galba in profile turned to the right.
The carving depicts a man in profile facing to the viewer's right. The surface is carved with a wonderful variety of depth lending a naturalistic sense of skin, muscle and fat that plays with the whiteness of the onyx's top layer. The man wears his hair in an imperial style, with a laurel wreath.
First in the "Year of the Four Emperors," Galba (Servius Sulpicius Galba Caesar Augustus) only held power for seven months before he was assassinated in January 69. Imperial sculptures and coins of Galba, like this intaglio, present a man with rather tough features and a severe look.
Weight: 11gr.
Top size 15mm
Size: 7