Description:

Ancient Near East, Achaemenid Persian Empire, ca. 550 to 330 BCE. A gorgeous bracelet composed of a thick silver wire tightly coiled to form a hollow open loop with zoomorphic terminals. Pointed and roughly pyramidal, each terminal is symmetrically decorated with thin, applied cut-outs of silver that give the impression that the viewer is looking down at the heads of snakes. Wearable for a small wrist. Size: 3" W x 0.5" H (7.6 cm x 1.3 cm) (111.7 g)

The Achaemenid love of silver and gold was famous throughout the ancient world. Plato wrote of how the acquisition of gold and silver was considered a virtue while Alcibiades; another Athenian, wrote of the enormous wealth in gold and silver that the Persians had. In a society where flaunting wealth was valuable, this bracelet would have been a prized possession, demonstrating the high social status of its wearer. It probably ended its functional life as a grave good, placed into a tomb alongside other treasures.

Provenance: private New Jersey USA collection, acquired over twenty years ago

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#121613

  • Condition: Slight tarnish and encrustation in lower profile areas; excellent form.

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April 12, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$300 $999 $50
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$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
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