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Scarab with a fallen warrior (Capne/Kapaneus or Achle/Achilles?)
Italic, Etruscan
Classical Period
450–400 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Carnelian
Dimensions
Length: 15 mm (9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Catharine Page Perkins Fund
Accession Number95.78
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Scarabs and scaraboids
DescriptionOrange-red carnelian. Scarab with flat, oval base engraved in intaglio; pierced lengthwise. Fully-armored warrior fallen to his knees to right with his head tilted back. He holds a shield on his right arm and holds up a sword with his left. A scabbard hangs in front of his legs. A star in the field below the sword. Groundline. Hatched border. Etruscan inscription “Acil” counterclockwise starting at the warrior’s knees. Back carved as a beetle with a hatched border around the thorax and three lines dividing the elytra. Winglets represented as chevrons. Detailed, naturalistic legs. Hatched plinth.
ProvenanceAccording to Warren's records: by date unknown: Howel Wills Collection, Florence; sold at Christie's, Feb. 1894, as lot 113; purchased at Christie's sale by Edward Perry Warren; 1895: purchased by MFA from Edward Perry Warren for $ 29,857.37 (this figure is the total price for MFA 95.9-95.174)