Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi eu nulla vehicula, sagittis tortor id, fermentum nunc. Donec gravida mi a condimentum rutrum. Praesent aliquet pellentesque nisi.
Hellenistic Art, 4th-3rd centuries BC. Rare circular ornament depicting Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, in bust form, wearing a chiton and holding an arrow, her torso crossed by a quiver, within two circular registers of vegetal scrolls, flowers, and foliage. Remains of a red stone pendant on the border. Gold and red stone. Minor tears. Diameter 8.2 cm. Formerly in a German collection. Gorny & Mosch, Munich, June 19, 2009, lot 117. Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, 2009. Exhibited at the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins from 2011 to 2017. Publications: J.M. Eisenberg, Art of the Ancient World, vol. XXI, 2010, no. 188. J. Boardman, Mougins Museum of Classical Art, 2011, p. 70, fig. 51. This emblema ornament is a headdress made of gold leaf. At its center stands the bust of Artemis. This type of jewelry testifies to the virtuosity of Greek goldsmiths during the Hellenistic period. Close contact with the Near East and Egypt contributed to the creation of a new aesthetic in which the polychromy of the beads adds to the richness of the decorative repertoire. The gold is thus enhanced by colored stones such as carnelian or garnet, like those that punctuated the border. The emblema model foreshadows the decorative formula called imago clipeata, which consists of inserting a portrait in relief against a background of a round shield or other circular motif, particularly used on the reliefs of marble sarcophagi from the Imperial period. Although the decoration of this type of piece does not formally confirm it, it seems that this kind of ornament was intended to be worn as a hair brooch. Bibliography: D. Williams & J. Ogden, Greek gold. Jewellery of the classical world, London, 1994, p. 254, no. 197.