Western Asiatic Gold Belt Appliqué with Pellets
$243.97
A finely rendered, Near Eastern-Western Asiatic gold appliqué, featuring a central six-petalled rosette framed on either side by a triangular plate. Each of the petals is decorated with a gold leaf, repoussé granule, with two larger pellets on the triangles. The edges of the appliqué are outlines with a filigree trail. The reverse features a bezel-like frame, perhaps to elevate the ornament from the material it was attached to. There are four perforations at the edges of the piece, suggesting that it would have been used to decorate a garment, or more probably a belt.
Date: Circa 1st Millennium BC- 1st millenium AD
Provenance: Ex major London collection, S.M. 1970-1999
Condition: Very fine condition. The appliqué is intact, some of the gold leaf pellets are misshapen
In stock
Many grand civilisations inhabited the area of Western Asia in Antiquity, and their wealth and prosperity is witnessed by the very sophisticated precious metal crafting of jewellery. Gold would have been hammered down to a thin layer and manipulated into different shapes. Gold, electrum and silver jewellery would have featured gold granules, glass and semi-precious stone inlays and detailed engravings. Granulation and filigree, were at the centre of Near Eastern and Western Asiatic jewellery production and were later adopted by the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans.
To find out more about different metal decorative techniques please see our relevant blog post: Decorative Metalwork Techniques
