Upright oval intaglio set in the belonging ancient ring. Aphrodite is shown from behind, standing in three-quarter profile to left. The goddess wears a diadem and is nude except for a cloak draped around her right upper arm and both lower legs. She holds a sword and baldric in her left hand and turns her head to the left, so that it appears in profile. She rests her right upper arm on a shield standing on the ground to her right. In her right hand holds a spear or lance. Eros, the constant companion of Aphrodite, is depicted as a naked, chubby child with wings. He stands to the left of the goddess and offers her a helmet with both hands. The motif of the goddess of love, Aphrodite, with the weapons of her lover Ares, the god of war, is attested both iconographically and in literature at least since the 4th century B.C. Depending on the context, a variety of interpretations are possible. The particular appeal of the motif resides in the contrast or even clash of the inherently contradictory forces of love and war. In Sparta and Taras (Tarentum), the cult of the armed Aphrodite Areia was widespread (Pausanias 3.17.5). Similarly, the armed Aphrodite Urania was worshiped on Kythira. In an epigram attributed to the Greek lyric poet Anacreon, Ares lays down his weapons before approaching the goddess; Aphrodite then picks them up and regards them playfully (Anthologia Palatina 5.31). Here, the motif appears to reflect the subjugation of war by love. The weapons that are laid down may be read as an allegory for the powerlessness of violence in the face of erotic attraction. The quality of the carving is high, with the gem-cutter placing particular emphasis on the careful, lifelike modeling of the body. Set in a solid silver ring. Small chip at the right edge of the gem, otherwise intact.