GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Buried with ingots of gold (1991.75.92.5, 1991.75.92.6), this bracelet was part of a goldsmith's cache discovered in Rome. The pieces found date to the 1st century BCE, and nicely illustrates the transition from Hellenistic to Roman jewelry. The group is impressive for its total weight of nearly 746 grams, and it also allows a rare glimpse into the work of a Roman goldsmith.
Among the finds was this coiled snake armlet, made of a plain, flat, gold band, with the head and curled body of the snake forming one end and the curled tail the other. The modeling of the snake's head is quite realistic, as are the carefully chased details of the snake's scales. Snake motifs of this type were popular from the Hellenistic period onward. The style allows scholars to pinpoint the bracelet's date and provenance: the realistically upturned head, with each scale delicately detailed with the chasing method of goldwork, is a Hellensitic design popular in the mid-2nd century BCE. But the more stylized curve of the tail is typical of Roman jewelry, suggesting that this bracelet was created in Rome by a jeweler familiar with the latest Greek styles. This bracelet was likely meant to be melted down and reused; if it were a newly made piece, there would have been a second one, as bracelets were worn in pairs. A smaller, unfinished snake bracelet (1991.75.92.4.A-B) was also found in the cache, cut into two, and possibly rejected because of its strange proportions.
Adapted from
- Barbara Deppert-Lippitz, Ancient Gold Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art in association with the University of Washington Press, 1996), 108; 144.
- Anne R. Bromberg and Karl Kilinski II, Gods, Men, and Heroes: Ancient Art at the Dallas Museum of Art. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996), 118.
NOTES
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1989: probably Collection of Dr. Athos Moretti, Switzerland [1]
1989-1991: Collection of Robert Haber, New York, New York [2]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
[1] based on existing provenance entry in TMS
[2] See printed email exchange between Andrew Oliver and Anne Bromberg, dated August 3, 2012, found in Collections Record Object file 1991.75.53
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- Snake bracelets like this were not only personal ornaments, but also amulets. Probably for this reason they are one of the few naturalistic motifs that continued to be popular long after the decline of the Greek world.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1991.75.92.1
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
Buried with ingots of gold (1991.75.92.5, 1991.75.92.6), this bracelet was part of a goldsmith's cache discovered in Rome. The pieces found date to the 1st century BCE, and nicely illustrates the transition from Hellenistic to Roman jewelry. The group is impressive for its total weight of nearly 746 grams, and it also allows a rare glimpse into the work of a Roman goldsmith.
Among the finds was this coiled snake armlet, made of a plain, flat, gold band, with the head and curled body of the snake forming one end and the curled tail the other. The modeling of the snake's head is quite realistic, as are the carefully chased details of the snake's scales. Snake motifs of this type were popular from the Hellenistic period onward. The style allows scholars to pinpoint the bracelet's date and provenance: the realistically upturned head, with each scale delicately detailed with the chasing method of goldwork, is a Hellensitic design popular in the mid-2nd century BCE. But the more stylized curve of the tail is typical of Roman jewelry, suggesting that this bracelet was created in Rome by a jeweler familiar with the latest Greek styles. This bracelet was likely meant to be melted down and reused; if it were a newly made piece, there would have been a second one, as bracelets were worn in pairs. A smaller, unfinished snake bracelet (1991.75.92.4.A-B) was also found in the cache, cut into two, and possibly rejected because of its strange proportions.
Adapted from
- Barbara Deppert-Lippitz, Ancient Gold Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art in association with the University of Washington Press, 1996), 108; 144.
- Anne R. Bromberg and Karl Kilinski II, Gods, Men, and Heroes: Ancient Art at the Dallas Museum of Art. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996), 118.
Fun Facts
- Snake bracelets like this were not only personal ornaments, but also amulets. Probably for this reason they are one of the few naturalistic motifs that continued to be popular long after the decline of the Greek world.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1989: probably Collection of Dr. Athos Moretti, Switzerland [1]
1989-1991: Collection of Robert Haber, New York, New York [2]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
[1] based on existing provenance entry in TMS
[2] See printed email exchange between Andrew Oliver and Anne Bromberg, dated August 3, 2012, found in Collections Record Object file 1991.75.53
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1991.75.92.1
source file
object_notes_3_c-0188.xml.nores