Lot 68
Central Eurasian Steppe, Scythian culture, ca. 6th to 3rd century BCE. A radiant survival of the ancient nomadic world, this Scythian applique depicts a stylized bird in flight, its body defined in shimmering high-karat gold and shaped in delicate repousse. Composed of 84.5% pure gold (approximately 20.3 karats), the figure spreads its wings in an X-shaped configuration, each feather articulated through fine linear tooling, the head turned sharply to one side in vigilant profile. The Scythians, fierce equestrian nomads who roamed the Eurasian steppe, were as renowned for their metalwork as for their military prowess. Gold ornaments such as this were sewn onto garments, horse tack, or leather armor, transforming the bodies of warriors and their mounts into dazzling symbols of strength, wealth, and supernatural protection. Birds, particularly raptors, were frequent motifs in Scythian art, often associated with the divine, with vision, and with the heavens. Size: 1" W x 0.9" H (2.5 cm x 2.3 cm); gold quality: 84.5% (about 20.3 karats); weight: 1.3 grams
Crafted in repousse - a technique where the design is hammered from the reverse - the applique displays the Scythian affinity for portable luxury and visual power. The compact form and hollow reverse suggest it once adorned a ceremonial costume or perhaps a burial shroud, reflecting the rich symbolic vocabulary of animal-style steppe art. Its survival offers a rare and compelling glimpse into the aesthetics and ideology of a culture without cities or monuments, but whose legacy gleams on in gold.
Provenance: private Dayton, Maryland, USA collection; ex-private F. B. collection, Maryland, USA, acquired between 1990 to 2010
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#195832
- Condition: Age-commensurate surface wear, but, otherwise, intact and excellent with nice remaining detail and light earthen deposits in areas.
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