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Scaraboid gem with Protesilaos
Greek
Early Classical Period
480–450 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Chalcedony
Dimensions
Length: 30 mm (1 1/4 in.); thickness: 14 mm (9/16 in.).
Credit Line
Morris and Louise Rosenthal Fund
Accession Number1987.300
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Scarabs and scaraboids
DescriptionBlue chalcedony. Scaraboid intaglio with flat, oval base and plinth tapering outwards; pierced lengthwise. Motif oriented horizontally. The front part of a trireme facing left, with eight oars visible, organized in three banks. Ship has pointed prow or 'beak' with two eyes: one of the ram and another on the prow. Protesilaos, wearing a conical helmet and cloak, crouches on the open, top deck. He holds a shield on right arm, and a spear in his left hand. He kneels on left leg, and takes a step forward with right leg, preparing to leap off of the deck. He is rendered at a larger scale than the ship on which he is crouching. Edges of the seal scratched and chipped.
ProvenanceBy date unknown: with Atlantis Antiquities, 40 East 69th Street, New York 10021; June 24, 1987: purchased by MFA from Atlantis Antiquities