Roman gold necklace
Price: on request
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Object number
AR3486
| Object: |
Roman gold necklace
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| Material: |
Gold.
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| Period: |
Around the 3rd cent. AD. Roman Imperial period. |
| Description: |
The Roman necklace consists of finely braided wire. An eyelet and a hook are attached to the terminals as a closure, a gold sheet sleeve around them. It is a so-called foxtail chain. Comparable pieces come mainly from finds in the Eastern Mediterranean. Chains of this type are particularly flexible and were certainly comfortable to wear. They are also very durable, so that some examples from the Roman period have survived intact to the present day. The condition of the necklace here is simply breathtaking, its elegance truly timeless. It is theoretically still wearable today. |
| Dimensions: |
62cm long.
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| Condition: |
Perfect condition, all chain links and the clasp are original and intact. A magnificent specimen.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2023 from the German private collection of Dr. Klaus Morkramer. Acquired by him in the 1960s or 1970s at the ancient art dealer Axel Weber from Cologne, Germany. Dr. Morkramer built a large collection of high-quality ancient artworks, with an academically motivated cross-section of bronzes, glasses, as well as jewellery and sculptures from the Greek and Roman period. The first part of his collection was sold in the 2000s and is now represented in well-known collections. For example, the glass vessel with inventory number 2007.233 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the 2020s the final part of the Dr. Klaus Morkramer collection is offered by us. We feel priviledged to work with the artefacts and give them into the good care of a new owner. |
| References: |
Cf. L. Ruseva-Slokoska, Roman Jewellery, pp. 138, catalog no. 98. The piece consists of three chains of very similar design and comes from Nikolaevo, in the Roman province of Moesia, in what is now Bulgaria. A medallion on the chains dates them very reliably to the decades around 250 AD. Cf. F. H. Marshall, Catalogue of the Jewellery Greek, Etruscan & Roman in the Departments of Antiquities British Museum, p. 315 and pl. LVIII, no. 2720. This necklace comes from the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and dates to the 2nd or 3rd century AD. For similar necklaces on the art market, cf. Christie's New York, auction 7 December 2011, lot 440, sold for 10,000 USD (equivalent to 7,700 EUR at the time). cf. Sotheby's London, auction 31 October 2003, lot 26, estimated at 4,400 to 7,300 EUR plus fees. |
| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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