3rd-4th century AD. A plano-convex haematite so called 'Gnostic' gemstone with intaglio motifs including a crouching profile figure with a flail over his shoulder above a solar barque, surrounded by scarab beetles, goats, hawks, lizards and snakes. See Bonner, C., Studies in Magical Amulets: Chiefly Graeco-Egyptian, New York, 1950; Dasen, V., 'Healing Images. Gems and Medicine' in Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2014, 33, pp.177-191.15.6 grams, 34mm (1 1/4"). Property of a London lady, part of her family's collection; acquired in the 1970s. The Gnostics were serious practitioners of magic, and their long, vowel-based magical incantations and spells litter their extant writings. The main purpose of magical gems was to secure divine protection, avert evil influences and heal various diseases. Some images use visual plays upon words, others combine Egyptian and Graeco-Roman elements, allowing ‘bilingual’ readings. The magical status of some amulets, too, may have been open to different interpretations. While a gem engraved with images of exotic deities might have evoked suspicions of magic in some viewers, other viewers may have seen the same object as an unproblematic display of piety. Many of the most seemingly bizarre-looking figures on the gems could be understood by at least some audiences as solar creator deities.