An extremely fine Ancient Roman red jasper intaglio featuring a radiate and draped bust, possibly Apollo, Helios, or a radiate female. The intaglio is oval in shape with bevelled sides. The obverse has been carved with image of a bust depicted in profile, facing left, wearing a radiate crown. The figure is draped and their facial features have been carefully incised, with a long nose, closed mouth, and profile eye still clearly visible. Their hair is drawn up into a bun at the back, with circular curls framing their face. Small linear incisions represent the drapery. The reverse is smooth and unadorned. Signs of wear as consistent with age such as 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: (circa) L 1.5cm x W 1.2cm Provenance: From the collection of a Swiss gentleman formed in Europe from 1970-1980s; thence by descent from the family in London.