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Scaraboid gem with two Amazons
Greek
Classical Period
450–425 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Rock crystal
Dimensions
Length: 25 mm (1 in.)
Credit Line
Bartlett Collection—Museum purchase with funds from the Francis Bartlett Donation of 1912
Accession Number27.697
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Scarabs and scaraboids
Catalogue Raisonné
Lewes House Gems, no. 049 bis (1920; 2002, additional published references).
DescriptionIntaglio. Pierced for stringing (horiztonal). Motif oriented horizontally. At left, an Amazon, wearing a short chiton with long sleeves, leggings with a lozenge pattern, and a pointed cap with two straps, seated on a rock. She holds a staff in her right hand and reaches up to the horse standing in front of her. Another Amazon, in a similar costume, rides the horse toward the seated figure. She holds the reins in her left hand and a crop in her right. The scene is situated on an uneven ground line. Hatched border.
ProvenanceBy 1919: with Edward Perry Warren (according to J. D. Beazley, The Lewes House Collection of Ancient Gems, no. 49 bis: from Melos. Formerly in the Evans Collection: acquired in 1919.); April 5, 1926: loaned to MFA by Edward Perry Warren (as 59.26); November 17, 1927: purchased by MFA from Edward Perry Warren for $ 161,000.00 (this figure is the total price for MFA 27.647-27.761)