Ca. 300-400 AD An oval intaglio of carnelian engraved with Ganymede seated on a rock and giving a drink from a bowl to the eagle of Zeus, which grasps his knee with its claw. Mounted in a later gold ring which is formed with wave-like surround above the intaglio the band is intricately cast in openwork style. Ganymede was a handsome prince of Troy who found favor with Zeus, and was carried off to Mount Olympus. He took the position of cupbearer to the gods that had been recently vacated by Hebe, daughter of Zeus and Hera, when she married the newly-deified Heracles. Zeus granted to Ganymede the gifts of immortality and eternal youth. The item has undergone X-ray fluorescence analysis to confirm the metallurgical content suggesting its ancient origin and lack of modern trace elements.Size: D: 17.97mm / US: 7 3/4 / UK: P 1/2; 10gProvenance: Private UK collection; from an old London collection formed in the 1980s.