AN ETRUSCAN CARNELIAN SCARAB WITH HERCLE ON A RAFT
AN ETRUSCAN CARNELIAN SCARAB WITH HERCLE ON A RAFT
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This lot has been imported from outside of the UK … Read more
AN ETRUSCAN CARNELIAN SCARAB WITH HERCLE ON A RAFT

CIRCA 4TH CENTURY B.C.

Details
AN ETRUSCAN CARNELIAN SCARAB WITH HERCLE ON A RAFT
CIRCA 4TH CENTURY B.C.
11/16 in. (1.7 cm.) long
Provenance
Giorgio Sangiorgi (1886-1965), Rome, acquired and brought to Switzerland, late 1930s; thence by continuous descent to the current owner.
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.

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Lot Essay

The underside of the beetle is engraved in the a-globolo style, with the hero Hercle reclining on a raft of amphorae, holding his club with a wineskin as a pillow. This motif is frequently encountered in Etruscan art and may possibly contain a reference to a particular Etruscan theme of Hercle as a water god. However, the scene could also refer to his journey west to the “Pillars of Herakles”, which in antiquity were thought to be the western edge of the world. For similar Etruscan gems see "Herakles/Hercule", in LIMC, vol. V, nos 337-340.

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