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Lot Essay
Island Scarabs are connected to the earlier Island Gems of lentoid or amygdaloid shape by virtue of the material from which they are made – a soft green or yellow serpentine. The range of devices employed are the same as with the contemporary hard stone seals of the Archaic Period, but due to the softness of the stone, they were cut by hand without the use of the drill.
Only about twenty Island Scarabs are known, three of which are signed by the artist Onesimos. Based on style and the form of the beetle, others from the group have been assigned to him, including the present example. One of the gems signed by Onesimos, now in the Bibliothèque nationale, Paris, also depicts a cow suckling a calf, although on that example, the cow’s head is positioned differently (see no. 348 in J. Boardman, Archaic Greek Gems).
Only about twenty Island Scarabs are known, three of which are signed by the artist Onesimos. Based on style and the form of the beetle, others from the group have been assigned to him, including the present example. One of the gems signed by Onesimos, now in the Bibliothèque nationale, Paris, also depicts a cow suckling a calf, although on that example, the cow’s head is positioned differently (see no. 348 in J. Boardman, Archaic Greek Gems).