Graeco-Persian Gold Ram-Shaped Amulet

3RD-2ND CENTURY B.C.

1 1/8 in. (12.87 grams, 30 mm).

Modelled in the round in the form of a ram lying with its legs folded beneath the body, head turned with hooked horns, collar to the neck with a large pellet pendant; ribbed suspension loop behind the shoulders, mounting lug beneath the trunk.

Provenance

Private collection, acquired on the European art market in 2002.

Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, 8 June 2004.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13204-249215.

Literature

Cf. a ram bangle from Crimea in Pinckernelle, K., The iconography of Ancient Greek and Roman Jewellery, Glasgow, 2007, fig.12.

Footnotes

The ram, a male symbol, was associated with various divinities. Turned into a ram as a child by Zeus, and a common sacrifice to the god, the ram was a symbol of Dionysus, which he shared with Aphrodite. Ram heads and pendants frequently occur in jewellery. In the animal kingdom, Eros favours the cockerel and the ram, both of which are indicative of sexual potency.

CONDITION

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The Ram was a Symbol of Dionysus

LOT 0097