Description:

Rome, Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. A stunning high karat (18+) gold seashell pendant, beautifully detailed with multiple striated ribs whirling upon its sinuous surface, created in ancient Rome. Seashells, the exo-skeletons of marine mollusks, have fascinated human beings for millennia. Ancient civilizations all across the globe used shells for currency, jewelry, musical instruments, tools, as well as spiritual objects. In ancient Rome, the color purple was associated with royalty, and interestingly, Tyrian purple dye was extracted via a painstaking process (see below) from the marine snail shell known as Bolinus brandaris. A lovely pendant suspending from a ring, ready for a chain of your choice. Size: 1.125" L x .5" W (2.9 cm x 1.3 cm) Weight: 3.9 grams

The color purple was regarded as a veritable symbol of elite status, primarily because it was very expensive to produce. According to a recent Smithsonian Magazine article, "To make Tyrian purple, marine snails were collected by the thousands. They were then boiled for days in giant lead vats, producing a terrible odor. The snails, though, aren’t purple to begin with. The craftsmen were harvesting chemical precursors from the snails that, through heat and light, were transformed into the valuable dye." (excerpted from the New York Times - see http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-ancient-rome-purple-dye-was-made-from-snails-1239931/#3B1h17U3H2CuD4K3.99)

Provenance: private east coast, USA collection

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#122963

  • Condition: Minor denting, overall excellent. Suspension cord in photo not included.

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

Artemis Fine Arts

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