Face of Rome

This exquisite ring draws its inspiration from the masterful Renaissance interpretation of Julius Caesar by Andrea di Pietro di Marco Ferrucci, created between 1512-1514. Ferrucci's portrait exemplifies the delicately ornate, à l'antica style of Florentine sculpture fashionable in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, capturing Caesar's likeness with strikingly naturalistic detail. The original marble bust, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, represents the Renaissance fascination with classical antiquity and the enduring power of Caesar's image.

Born into the tumultuous final century of the Roman Republic, Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) transcended the role of military commander to become one of history's most consequential figures. His conquest of Gaul expanded Rome's dominion to the Atlantic, while his crossing of the Rubicon River in 49 BCE—uttering the immortal words "alea iacta est" (the die is cast)—forever changed the course of Western civilization. Caesar's literary genius matched his military prowess; his Commentarii de Bello Gallico remains a masterwork of Latin prose that chronicles his campaigns with crystalline clarity and subtle political sophistication.

The Roman scutum evolved from the circular Greek shield into the distinctive rectangular, semi-cylindrical form that became synonymous with Roman military might by the first century BCE. Its slightly curved shape provided optimal protection from shoulder to knee while allowing for both individual and collective defensive formations. These shields were decorated with iconic imagery—winged eagles representing victory, lightning bolts symbolizing divine power, and laurel wreaths denoting triumph—transforming them into both protective implements and powerful symbols of Roman authority.

The contrasting gold scuta adorning the sides of this ring pay homage to the very shields that Caesar's legions carried across Europe, their gleaming surfaces reflecting not merely sunlight but the glory of an empire that would endure for centuries. Each shield tells the story of disciplined ranks, of testudo formations that proved unstoppable, and of the military innovation that allowed a city-state to become master of the known world.