Description:

Ancient Near East, Achaemenid Persian Empire, ca. 550 to 330 BCE. A molded, dark blue glass disc with one side smooth and the other in the form of a low relief griffin set into a gold pendant with a loop for suspension. The griffin was a symbol of royal power, and the wearer would have been associating him or herself with nobility by wearing this item. Size: 0.75" W x 0.8" H (1.9 cm x 2 cm); total weight: 1.8 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 important, gold items like this would have been prized possessions, demonstrating the high social status of its wearer.

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection acquired before 2000

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#122334

  • Condition: Glass is lovely and translucent. Suspension cord shown in photograph not included.

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May 18, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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