The art of glyptics, or carving on colored precious stones, is probably one of the oldest known to humanity. Intaglios, gems with an incised design, were made as early as the fourth and third millennia BC in Mesopotamia and Aegean Islands. They display a virtuosity of execution that suggests an old and stable tradition rooted in the earliest centuries. The tools required for carving gems were simple: a wheel with a belt-drive and a set of drills. Abrasives were necessary since the minerals used were too hard for a metal edge. A special difficulty of engraving intaglios, aside from their miniature size, was that the master had to work with a mirror image in mind.
Intaglio rings were often given to favorites of the royal court as tokens of appreciation and as symbols of loyalty. Naturally, reigning emperors would have their own portraits engraved on such special intaglios. However, it is possible that the most revered emperors of the past would be regarded as worthy subjects for art. The handsome man on this intaglio bears a strong resemblance to the emperor Hadrian (reigned 117 - 138 A.D.). He is facing left, with a curled beard, flowing hair and a laurel wreath. His strong facial features are similar to the image of this great leader found on his coinage. When natural beauty is combined with refined artistry, the result is an object of quality which knows no boundaries of time or place; and is as equally admired in this century as it was in the days of the Roman emperors.