As in many ancient societies, jewellery was an important social marker used to demonstrate wealth and richness. In Ancient Greek culture jewellery was worn in everyday life but was also buried with the deceased as part of his or her funerary outfit. Jewellery might have been enriched by precious and semi-precious stones and decorative motives would have included popular myths, gods, goddesses, and heroes. In Ancient Greek and Roman mythology dolphins were associated with the sea and with the sphere of sensual love, bearing an amatory symbolism. Because of the assonance between the ancient Greek word delphis, δελφίς, meaning dolphin, and the word delphus, δελφύς, meaning womb, dolphins were considered animals sacred to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, fertility and desire.
Ancient Greek Hellenistic Gold and Green Glass Dolphin Amphora Pendant
£ 395.00
A fine Greek, Hellenistic, gold pendant in the shape of an amphora. It features a cylindrical neck leading to an ovoid, translucent green glass bead, which becomes the centre-point of the piece, and terminates in a delicate gold granule cluster. The pendant is further embellished with two undulating dolphins, finely modelled in gold, one at either side of the suspension loop, creating the handles of the amphora. The dolphins are rendered stylistically with fine detailing added to the fins and tail. This beautiful item of jewellery testifies to the extreme quality of Greek Hellenistic goldsmith art.
Provenance: Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s.
Condition: Fine condition, a fin of one dolphin and tail of the other are now missing. Minor chip to the bottom of the glass bead.
SOLD
| Weight | 1.94 g |
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| Dimensions | L 2.4 x W 1.4 cm |
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