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 difficultly of engraving intaglios, aside from their miniature size, was that the master had to work with a mirror image in mind.
When Antoninus Pius attained the throne, a new era of peace and prosperity commenced in the Roman world. Born to an important family (his grandfather and father were both consuls), Pius was brought up in atmosphere of wealth and politics. As pro-consul in Asia, he earned a reputation for being impartial and wise. Upon the death of the emperor Hadrian's heir Lucius Caesar, Antoninus was chosen in his place; thus acquiring tribunican power and a post of supreme administrative power (imperium). This paved the way for his eventual succession to the throne. So judicious was Antoninus that the usually recalcitrant senate voted him the unusual title of 'Pius'. The fine engraving on this lovely intaglio fully captures the serene dignity of one of history's most remarkable individuals.