Description:

**First Time At Auction**

Eastern Europe, Macedonia (sphere of Greek influence), Geometric period, ca. 900 to 700 BCE. A beautiful cast bronze pectoral, its front-facing surface decorated with a series of concentric circle motifs, some in groups of four, others alone, punctuating the edges and center. Two sharply curved terminals (one of which remains), each delineated with a wide square-shaped segment where it meets the main body of the pectoral, end in sharp points and may once have been wrapped around a chain or had a chain looped through them. This style of personal adornment is sometimes called "bikini" for its shape, although its form has also been likened to a uterus (leading to a lively scholarly debate about how familiar the ancient Greeks were with internal anatomy). When first made, this highly polished item would have gleamed a dull gold on the chest. Size: 11.9" W x 5.8" H (30.2 cm x 14.7 cm)

c.f. examples from Axiokastron, in the Kozani Museum, illustrated in Jan Bouzek, "Graeco-Macedonian Bronzes", Prague 1974, fig. 28.1 and 4, pp. 92 and 96-97.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#139692

  • Condition: End of one terminal is lost. Light deposits of adhesive paper on the terminals. Nice remaining details of the decorative motifs on the surface, which has a pretty, mottled, russet and turquoise surface.

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December 20, 2018 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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