Hematite intaglio: Mummy of Osiris

An oval hematite intaglio, dark blue-gray and polished, carved with a small scene of a reclining animal or figure above a horizontal ground line. Incised notches and marks border the rim, and the carving is worn and hard to read in this view.

Look closer: A row of small incised notches runs along the rim of the gem.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 2nd–3rd century CE

Medium

Hematite

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

2000 × 1442 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Miss Helen Miller Gould, 1910