Hellenistic earring with animal head
€1,510
available
Object number
AR3298F
| Object: |
Hellenistic gold earring
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| Material: |
Gold with glass beads.
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| Period: |
Around the 1st cent. BC. Late Hellenistic. |
| Description: |
Gold earring consisting of thick gold wire shaped as almost circular oval. The wire ends are bent into a hook and eye closure. There is a rich decoration of three rings of gold beads, sandwiched by gold sheets. Also two beads in the shape of hexagonal cylinders made of turquoise glass with a light patina. The dominant decoration is a plastically modeled animal head of thin gold sheet. A typical hellenistic adornment. It shows probably a bird of prey head or a dolphin head.
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| Dimensions: |
29mm x 20mm. Weight 2.0g. |
| Condition: |
Near perfect condition. Including the elaborate gold sheet head, the decorative discs and the beads. The last part of the gold wire at the closure was possibly added either in modern times or in antiquity, or it was just worked with a different diameter for some other reason. The collar below the head is damaged and parts of it missing.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2022 on the German art market. Previously in the German collection Dr. R. Neumeister. Acquired before 1992.
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| References: |
Cf. H. Hoffmann, P. F. Davidson, Greek Gold, p. 108, fig. 29. Cf. R. A. Higgins, Greek and Roman Jewellery, pl. 47, fig. B. Cf. B. Deppert-Lippitz, Griechischer Goldschmuck, p. 291, no. 221. Cf. F. H. Marshall, Catalogue of the Jewellery, British Museum, pl. LII, nos. 2426-2427 and 2430-2431. |
| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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