An extremely fine Ancient Roman red jasper intaglio featuring helmeted bust facing left, probably Minerva. The intaglio is oval in shape with bevelled sides. The obverse has been carved with image of a female bust depicted in profile, wearing a plumed helmet and an armour with snake-fringed aegis, all common attributes of the goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare. Fine, intricate incisions portray elements such as the strands of hair, tiny snakes and feathers. The reverse is smooth and unadorned. Minor chips to the top left and bottom right edges of the obverse. Please note, the impression is for reference only. The term intaglio refers to a small image that has been engraved into a gemstone and usually set in a piece of jewellery, most commonly a ring. Such artistic form has its origin in Sumer in the 4th millennium BC, with the appearance of cylinder and stamp seals, whereby decorations and patterns were engraved into soft stones. During the Hellenistic period and the early Roman Empire, the art of intaglio reached its apogee, with there being a steady decline in craftsmanship in the late Imperial Rome, until a revival of interest with the Byzantine and during the Renaissance. Measurements: L 1.9cm x W 1.4cm Provenance: From the collection of a Swiss gentleman formed in Europe from 1970-1980s; thence by descent from the family in London.