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Scaraboid gem with two cranes
Greek
Early Classical Period
480–450 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Chalcedony
Dimensions
Length: 20 mm (13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bartlett Collection—Museum purchase with funds from the Francis Bartlett Donation of 1912
Accession Number13.242
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Scarabs and scaraboids
DescriptionIntaglio. Pierced for stringing (vertical). Motif oriented vertically. Two herons stand facing each other with a silphium plant (an extinct variety of giant fennel) between them. Their beaks are pointed down and wings are half-open. Plant has a flower or bud at the top of the stalk, terminating just below the herons' beaks; there are three additional tiers of leaves, the second from the bottom with two additional flowers/buds. Herons stand on a partial ground line. Inscribed with the Greek letters 'gamma,' 'omega' and 'lambda' from left to right, between birds' legs and the plant. Hatched border. Significant portion of seal back is broken.
ProvenanceBy date unknown: with Edward Perry Warren (according to Warren's records: From the Evans Coll.); 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)