Engraved Ring with an Actor Holding a Theater Mask (Profile)

The bezel of this gold ring is engraved with a draped actor, standing in three-quarter profile to the left and contemplating a mask held with both outstretched hands. A graffito in Greek letters reading SAMH (‘SAME’) is scratched into the gold behind the actor and is probably the name of the ring's owner.

Due to changes in the nature and form of Greek drama, the role of the actor became much more important in the 300s B.C., prompting the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 B.C.) to comment that the actor in this period was becoming more important than the playwright. This shift led to more frequent depictions of actors in art, and scenes of actors contemplating a mask, the most important part of an actor's costume, became especially popular. Engraved gold rings were often used as seals, but were also decorative items of jewelry. The depiction of an actor in this context perhaps symbolized the role of jewelry in shaping the wearer’s appearance.

In the late 300s B.C., a new ring form, a large round bezel on a heavy hoop, became popular. This ring shows the final transition from an oval to a round bezel.