Byzantine, circa 1100, Cameo with a philosopher or a male saint. Photo Sotheby's

the shank with a French assay mark, garnet, set in a later gold ring, bezel: 22mm., 7/8 in. length., ring interior: 18mm., 11/16 in., ring size: P. Estimation 8,000 — 12,000 GBP - Lot. Vendu 10,000 GBP

Provenance: with Charles Ratton, Paris

Compare the ring set with an amethyst cameo illustrated in D. Scarisbrick, The art of gem engraving from Alexander the Great to Napoleon III, exh. cat. The Hakone Open-Air Museum, Kanagawa and the Fukuoka City Museum, Fukuoka, 2008, pp. 175 and 349, no. 202

Sotheby's. Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art. London | 10 juil. 2014 -www.sothebys.com