ROMAN PERIOD, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.

This gold bust of Serapis is unusual for its relatively large scale. While images of him are plentiful in every medium during Roman times, very few large-scale examples are known in precious metal, which likely were offered as a dedication to the god, served in a household shrine or were incorporated into jewelry. For a gold Serapis attached to a diadem, discovered at Douch in the Kharga Oasis, see fig. 3 in M. Reddé, “Le trésor de Douch,” Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, April-June 1989.

The Serapis presented here is adorned with three collar-set gems, one of amethyst, carnelian and probably sapphire, and a gold motif impressed into black enamel on the front of the modius (all likely modern replacements). The back of the bust is engraved with two confronting uraei, their heads both surmounted by a solar disk. The cobras are framed by foliate motifs. Above and below the engraved scene is a perforation reinforced by a ring of filigree wire.