A GREEK BLUE CHALCEDONY SCARABOID

CLASSICAL PERIOD, CIRCA 4TH CENTURY B.C.

Details

A GREEK BLUE CHALCEDONY SCARABOID
CLASSICAL PERIOD, CIRCA 4TH CENTURY B.C.
Engraved with a nude woman seated upon her mantle draped over a rock, her legs crossed at the calves, her head lowered in concentration, her hands attending to her pubic area, her long tresses with wavy strands falling onto each shoulder
1 in. (2.5 cm.) long

Provenance

Inherited by the previous owner in the U.K. in the 1940s.

Lot Essay

For a gem with a winged goddess leaning on a laver, her hands similarly positioned, see no. 634 in Boardman, Greek Gems and Finger Rings. The scene may depict depilation. For this subject on a red-figured bell-krater by the Dinos Painter, circa 430-420 B.C., see Paul, "A New Vase by the Dinos Painter: Eros and an Erotic Image of Women in Greek Vase Painting," in Harvard University Art Museums Bulletin, vol. 3, 1995, pp. 60-67.

More from Ancient Jewelry

View All