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Oval gem with the theft of Philoctetes’ weapons
Italic or Modern
Hellenistic Period or Modern
late 3rd–2nd century B.C. or 19th century A.D.
Medium/Technique
Carnelian
Dimensions
Length: 16 mm (5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bartlett Collection—Museum purchase with funds from the Francis Bartlett Donation of 1912
Accession Number13.237
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Gems
DescriptionTranslucent, reddish orange carnelian. Oval intaglio; slightly convex front and back with wall tapering inward; set in a modern brass ring. Philoktetes, nude except for a shaggy animal skin drawn over his head, reclines in a cave, facing right. He fans with a bird wing his bandaged and elevated left foot, around which four flies swarm. Odysseus, wearing a pilos, sneaks above at left and reaches for the bow and quiver hanging from the rocky outcropping. Hatching on the ground. Cable border. Scratched surface.
ProvenanceFrom the Boulton Collection, sold at auction, Dec. 12th, 1911, according to Warren's records; January 2, 1913: purchased by MFA from Edward Perry Warren for $18,948.70 (this figure is the total price for MFA 13.186-13.245)