Lot 222
222
A GRAECO-PERSIAN BLUE CHALCEDONY SCARABOID
A GRAECO-PERSIAN BLUE CHALCEDONY SCARABOID

LATE 5TH-4TH CENTURY B.C.

Details
A GRAECO-PERSIAN BLUE CHALCEDONY SCARABOID
late 5th-4th century b.c.
Engraved with a Maltese dog, with a thick coat and curled tail, walking to the right on a thin groundline
1.1/8 in. (2.85 cm.) wide

Lot Essay

Maltese dogs seem to have been favored by the Persians, as evinced by their popularity as a subject on Graeco-Persian gems. For a similar example in the Bibliothque National, Paris, see pl. 874 in Boardman, Greek Gems and Finger Rings.