A Hellenistic Gold and Black Stone Necklace, circa 3rd-2nd century B.C.
Estimate
18,000 - 24,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
A Hellenistic Gold and Black Stone Necklace, circa 3rd-2nd century B.C.
consisting of a three-fold double loop-in-loop chain, each end threaded through a cylindrical black stone bead, capped at one end with a plain sheet cap edged with twisted wires and beads and at the other end with filigree spirals edged with twisted wires and beads, terminating in horned lion heads, the back of the heads decorated with beaded wires, the wire hook-and-loop closure protruding from their mouths.
gold and black stone
length 15½ in.
39.4 cm
Private collection, Mainz, early 1990s;
Christie's, New York, December 6th, 2007, lot 408, illus.;
Where acquired by the present collector.
Greek goldsmiths first created necklaces terminating in finely modelled animal heads toward the end of the 4th century B.C., taking the place of earlier plait-work. These animal head designs were popular throughout the Greek world, but they were a particular favourite of Tarentine and other South Italian jewelers originally inspired by earlier Achaemenid zoomorphic design.
Typically, these necklaces comprise an elegant loop-in-loop chain terminating in sculptural animal-head finials. The collars of these terminals are generally formed from sheet gold, or incorporate stone as in the present example. Many necklaces of this type were originally associated with a pendant, as seen in an example with similar lion head terminals now in The British Museum (inv. no. 1896,0616.3), no. 138 in D. Williams and J. Ogden, Greek Gold, Jewellery of the Classical World, London, 1994.
