Through the kindness of Frederick Gray, the Carlos Museum was introduced in April 2008 to Los Angeles collector Michael Shubin who agreed to donate his collection of Greek and Roman gemstones. Carved from semi-precious and precious stones (such as chalcedony or agate), with designs either engraved (intaglio) left in relief (cameo), these were used to seal important documents in the manner of modern signet rings.

Numbering some four hundred objects, the Shubin collection is among the most extensive in private hands. Starting with some of the earliest seals known from Mesopotamia, the story unfolds with gems carved throughout the Mediterranean basin from archaic Greece to Roman times and beyond, to Sassanian Persia, the Kushan and Bactrian kingdoms, and thence even to China.

Important in inverse proportion to their size, gems circulated primarily in sophisticated, elite circles, and where great craftsmanship was loved and respected. Through study of the materials from which they were made, the techniques employed, the shapes, subject matter and styles of carving, much can be learned about the societies that created them.

Michael Shubin’s magnificent generosity has enabled the Carlos Museum to display the finest collection of gems in any university collection in the United States. Soon after the Carlos Museum was gifted these gems, Michael Shubin passed away. Scholars and lovers of ancient art in Atlanta and beyond will always be grateful for the vision of a fine connoisseur, Michael Shubin.