Intaglio with Bust of Antinous

This gem depicts Antinous, the young companion and lover of Emperor Hadrian (AD 117-138), who drowned in the River Nile during their visit to Egypt in AD 130. The grief-stricken emperor instituted a cult in honor of the youth, who was revered as a semi-divine hero. Antinous is shown here in profile facing to the left; a fibula pins his chlamys in place at his left shoulder. Over his right shoulder, he carries a hunting spear. Behind his left shoulder is a fragmentary vertical inscription written in retrograde Greek letters, beginning ΑΝΤΟ…, perhaps the name of the gem engraver. The intaglio is fragmentary; a portion of the bust, fibula, and drapery have been restored in gold as part of a more modern mount.