Period Roman Finger Ring Depicting Jupiter

A gold and amethyst finger ring depicting Jupiter.
Period Roman First century CE.

SHAPE
1) The shape of the ring is Hellenistic ( cfr. Plantzos fig. III ).

COLOR
2) The maker of or the client for the ring chose deliberately for the purple amethyst.
During the Roman Empire, purple was reserved for the dignitaries as we also can see by the restricted use of Egyptian Porphyry .
Tyrian purple also known as, royal purple, imperial purple, or imperial dye, is a reddish-purple natural dye. The name Tyrian refers to Tyre, Lebanon. It is secreted by several species of predatory sea snails in the family Muricidae, rock snails originally known by the name 'Murex'. In ancient times, extracting this dye involved tens of thousands of snails and substantial labor, and as a result, the dye was highly valued. The color of the Tyrian purple varied from reddish to a bluish purple.
The gold of the ring and the purple of the stone are referring to the Toga picta, a purple toga embroidered with gold.
During the Roman Republic, it was worn by generals in their triumphs and by the Praetor Urbanus when he rode in the chariot of the gods into the circus at the Ludi Apollinares.
In that period the toga picta was worn by emperors, officers and magistrates during the gladiatorial games, and also by the consuls on special occasions.

MEANING
3) As the shape of the hollow golden ring and the use of the purple amethyst are indicating we are in the Roman Period.
So the intaglio is depicting Jupiter the Roman equivalent of the Greek Zeus. Jupiter has curly hair and beard , from the ribbon in his hair lightning appears. He is the god of the sky and thunder, and king of the gods in ancient Roman religion and mythology. Jupiter was the chief deity of Roman State religion throughout the Republican and Imperial eras. The Romans were convinced that Jupiter granted them supremacy because they honored him more than any other people. The augurs took their auspices before the senate acted in important matters.
As the sky god he was a divine witness to oaths, the sacred trust on which justice and good government depend. Many of his functions were focused on the Capitoline Hill, where the citadel was located.
Ring Size : EU 64
Intaglio : 22mm x 16 mm
Provenance : European Collection