Archaeological Museum of Bologna

Often paintings, reliefs and decorations on the sarcophagi and on Etruscan mirrors, show the widespread habit of aristocrats to adorn themselves with gaudy and refined jewelry: diadems, bracelets, fibulae and necklaces.

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Bolognese tombs of the Felsinean phase do not offer many items of gold jewellery, items certainly produced in local workshops, inspired by the older Etruscan goldsmith tradition. Few pieces are of striking quality, like this engraved, embossed ring, which was found out of context. The shaft comprises two serpents heads with gaping jaws from which two female figures emerge, with their arms pulled back to support the setting, surrounded by a beaded edge that encloses a male profile between two wings. It is a unique specimen, although it can be compared with rings found in the Adriatic area and is stylistically close to other jewels in the Po Valley area

Provenance: Bologna, Certosa necropolis
Datation: 400 BC
Material: gold
Dimensions: diam cm 2,5
Inventory #: 30128