GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Ancient Greek gold and silver bracelets are rare. Because bracelets require considerably more metal than any other form of jewelry, most Greek bracelets appear to have been made from bronze, which, when polished, shines like gold. From the Archaic period onward, Greek bracelets were more or less restricted to two types: snake bracelets and animal-head bracelets like this one.
The lion-head bracelet has been considered a Near Eastern invention. The earliest known Greek example, found in a grave on the island of Rhodes, dates to ca. 600 BCE. The basic shape, already firmly established at this early stage, remained unchanged over the following centuries, but the animals' heads and the decoration of the cuff the joins the hoop to the terminals reflect artistic changes.
The hoop of this bracelet, allegedly found in Eretria, is composed of plain and beaded wires of equal diameter, twisted around a central rod. Both of the overlapping ends terminate in an antelope's head, constructed from two halves. The horns and ears of the antelopes were made separately and attached to the hollow head. A cuff made from sheet gold, which coveres the join between hoop and finial, is decorated with pointed tongues outlined in filigree.
In antiquity, bracelets were usually worn in pairs. However, the number of surviving Greek and Etruscan bracelets is surprisingly small.
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), 65-66; 139.
NOTES
updated provenance and geo x ref
added publication as a text entry
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PROVENANCE
Until 1991: probably Collection of Dr. Athos Moretti, Switzerland (presented by Robert Haber, New York) [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
[1] based on existing provenance entry in TMS
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General Description
Ancient Greek gold and silver bracelets are rare. Because bracelets require considerably more metal than any other form of jewelry, most Greek bracelets appear to have been made from bronze, which, when polished, shines like gold. From the Archaic period onward, Greek bracelets were more or less restricted to two types: snake bracelets and animal-head bracelets like this one.
The lion-head bracelet has been considered a Near Eastern invention. The earliest known Greek example, found in a grave on the island of Rhodes, dates to ca. 600 BCE. The basic shape, already firmly established at this early stage, remained unchanged over the following centuries, but the animals' heads and the decoration of the cuff the joins the hoop to the terminals reflect artistic changes.
The hoop of this bracelet, allegedly found in Eretria, is composed of plain and beaded wires of equal diameter, twisted around a central rod. Both of the overlapping ends terminate in an antelope's head, constructed from two halves. The horns and ears of the antelopes were made separately and attached to the hollow head. A cuff made from sheet gold, which coveres the join between hoop and finial, is decorated with pointed tongues outlined in filigree.
In antiquity, bracelets were usually worn in pairs. However, the number of surviving Greek and Etruscan bracelets is surprisingly small.
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), 65-66; 139.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
updated provenance and geo x ref
added publication as a text entry
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1991: probably Collection of Dr. Athos Moretti, Switzerland (presented by Robert Haber, New York) [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
[1] based on existing provenance entry in TMS
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VIDEO ASSETS
rules
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