A pair of Etruscan gold earrings
Gold.Late 4th — early 3rd cent. BCE. Inv. Nos. ex L.1988.81.8—9 / ex L.66.36.2—3.Sotheby’s Auction House, New York
A pair of Etruscan gold earrings.
Gold.
Late 4th — early 3rd cent. BCE.
Late 4th — early 3rd cent. BCE.
Inv. Nos. ex L.1988.81.8—9 / ex L.66.36.2—3.
Sotheby’s Auction House, New York.
Private collection.
Origin:
Acquired by Jan Mitchell in 1966 or earlier.
Sotheby’s, New York, June 7th, 2012, Lot 25 (estimate:50,000 — 80,000 USD; price realized: 182,500 USD).
Exhibited: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. nos. L.1988.81.8—9, formerly L.66.36.2—3), from 1966 to 2011.
Sotheby’s, New York, June 7th, 2012, Lot 25 (estimate:
Exhibited: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. nos. L.1988.81.8—
Description:
A pair of Etruscan gold earrings of a grappolo type, each with upper horseshoe-shaped plaque repousse in relief with a centaur fighting a helmeted and curaissed warrior within two borders of applied bosses, the central crescentic element flanked by the heads of two wreathed goddesses above a central mask of a deity with backward-streaming hair, five lentoid beads, a rosette, and clusters of globules below, the central element with hinged fastener behind.
For related examples compare:
F. H. Marshall, Catalogue of the Jewellery Greek, Etruscan, and Roman, in the Departments of Antiquities, British Museum, Oxford, 1911, pl. XLIV;
T. Hackens, Catalogue of the Classical Collection, Classical Jewelry, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, 1976, no. 4;
Die Welt der Etrusker, Berlin, 1988, p. 358, E 3;
H. Hoffman, Ten Centuries that Shaped the West, Houston, Tex., and Mainz, 1970, no. 215.
The large size of the present earrings, as well as the figured decoration, are unusual.
Credits:
© 2012. Photo, text: Sotheby’s Auction House (Antiquities, 07 June 2012, Lot 25>).
Keywords: ελληνική μυθολογία mythologia graeca greek mythology mitologia greca griechische mythologie grecque centauromachia centauromachy the fight battle of greeks and centaur centaurs lapiths lapith battaglia dei centauri kentaurenschlacht zentaurenschlacht zentaurenkampf kentauromachie bataille des centaures kένταυρος kentauros centaurus centauro kentaur zentaur centaure κόσμημα adornments abbellimento verzierungen bijou ετρουρία ετρουσκική etruria etruscan etrusco etruskisch etruskische etruskischer etruskischen étrusque earring earrings orecchino orecchini ohrring ohrringe boucle d’oreille wreath kranz couronne corona armour armor armatura rüstung armure πανοπλία crest crested helmet elmo crestato kammhelm casque à crête crista κράνος λοφίο κρωβύλος κρώβυλος gold golden d’oro goldene goldener d’or d’ors χρυσός χρυσή χρυσό χρυσαφένιος χρυσαφένια χρυσαφένιο warrior soldier guerriero soldato milite krieger soldat guerrier πολεμιστής στρατιώτης punch granulation technique granules tecnica di punzonatura e granulazione granuli stempeltechnik granulationstechnik granulat de poinçonnage et τεχνική διάτρησης και κοκκοποίησης κόκκων κοκκίδωση a grappolo type inv no ex l 1988 81 8 9 66 36 2 3
