Details

LOT 0981

Achaemenid Gold Penannular Hair Ring

CIRCA 5TH CENTURY B.C.

1 1/4 in. (4.83 grams, 32 mm).

Composed of a hollow D-section body, decorative vertical grooves around the outer face. [No Reserve]

Provenance

From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.

Literature

Cf. Shahryar, S., Reyhaneh, R., Fatemeh, B., ‘Semiotics of Animal Motifs in the Jewelry of the Achaemenid Era’ in Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage, 2018, pp.169-181, fig.1a, for a gold armlet with lion-head terminals in the same style; Christie's, Ancient Jewelry, Wearable Art, auction 29 Nov-8 Dec 2016, London-New York, 2016, lot.63, for comparable example.

Footnotes

In Achaemenid graves, it is possible to determine if the jewellery contained within belonged to an adult female or a child by its size. The jewellery of the adult women included a wreath, as well as three pairs of boat-shaped earrings, two necklaces, two pendants, four finger rings, and a set of dress ornaments. Children's jewellery pieces usually consisted of only three pairs of earrings and a necklace.