LOT 0242

Achaemenid Gold Bracelet with Lion Protomes

6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.

4 3/4 in. (318 grams total, 12 cm high including stand).

A gold bracelet with animal head terminals, crafted by bending a piece of heavy gold sheet into an oval band with an in-swing in the hoop opposite the terminals; concave to the top side to receive rectangular strips of lapis lazuli inlay, still extant in parts; terminals formed as the forequarters of two lions, heads turned to look along their backs, open jaws revealing teeth, hatching decoration suggests the texture of their manes, delicate details to their heads and faces; mounted on a custom-made stand.

Faraj Mahdi Mohamed Ali collection, England, 1952.
With Pierre Bergé & Associés, Archéologie, 15 December 2009, lot 293 [45,000-50,000 euros for a pair].
With Cahn Auktionen AG, 13 November 2015, lot 97.
Property of a gentleman living in central London.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Cahn Auktionen AG and Pierre Bergé & Associés catalogue pages.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate no.11343-192123.

Cf. Curtis, J, and Tallis, N. edn., Forgotten Empire, The British Museum, London, 2006, pp.138-139, for a comparable bracelet; cf. Tait, H., 7000 Years of Jewellery, p.66-67, 118-119, for the specific shape of the bangle.