CIRCA LATE 5TH CENTURY B.C.

Details

A SCYTHIAN GOLD STAG APPLIQUÉ
CIRCA LATE 5TH CENTURY B.C.
2 1/4 in. (5.8 cm.) long; weight: 54.5 grams.

Provenance

with Royal Athena Gallery, New York, acquired prior to 1966.
Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York.
Jay C. Leff (1925-2000), president of the Fayette Bank & Trust Co., Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
with Royal Athena Gallery, New York, acquired from the above.
Louis and Hilaire Beck, New York, acquired from the above on 30 March 1978, thence by descent to their daughter, Kathy Beck, New York.

Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Sale room notice

Please note the image in the eCatalogue is incorrect. Please refer to Christies.com for the correct images.
Please note the dimensions in the eCatalogue are incorrect and should read 2 1/4 in. (5.8 cm.) long, and weight: 54.5 grams.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Claudio Corsi Specialist, Head of Department

ccorsi@christies.com +44 (0) 20 7389 2607

Lot Essay

Fashioned from a single piece of thick, hammered gold, this stag is a fine example of the ‘Animal Style’ art of the Eurasian Steppe during the first millennium B.C. As a Scythian ornamental accessory, it would have been used in the tradition of wealth-display. The large antlers extend to the rear of the stag, and the legs are tucked underneath, indicating urgent motion. As with similar examples of stag ornaments, the reverse features hoops, with which to attach it to clothing. This example has three, attached using a gold-copper alloy, which was typical of the period. Similar examples can be found in The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg (J. Aruz, A. Farkas, A. Alekseev and E. Korolkova, The Golden Deer of Eurasia, GE 2498/1) and The Cleveland Museum of Art, Acc. no. 1985.77.

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