A GREEK GREEN STEATITE ISLAND GEM

The present gem is part of a group of five seals that Boardman considered together for their exceptional technique (op. cit., p. 20): "On them simple, though sometimes deep, incision is helped out by small holes and hoops...This technique is met in Minoan seals and in the Near East, but nothing like this exact style. With the goat, and on three other seals, we find hoops with a centre dot or hole. These hoops are made with a two-pronged implement used like a compass and not with a tubular drill. This is shown by the uneven depth of the cutting in the hoop and the more deeply cut centre hole. The same technique and effect can be observed on archaic ivories, which could be the source for this technique and motif on the Island Gems."