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Scarab with satyr
Greek
Late Archaic Period
early 5th century B.C.
Medium/Technique
Chalcedony
Dimensions
Length: 16.5 mm (5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Frederick Brown Fund
Accession Number67.624
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Scarabs and scaraboids
DescriptionMilky-white chalcedony. Intaglio. Motif oriented vertically. A kneeling satyr, facing left, holds an amphora on his left shoulder and a wine pitcher (oinochoe) in his right hand. He supports the amphora with his left hand, and he appears to be pouring from the oinochoe. His torso is seen in three-quarters view; head and legs in profile. He has a very schematized torso, with very rounded pectorals, and three prominent abdominal muscles. He has a very long beard that obscures his upper right arm, a tail, round nose, and hair pulled back into a low bum. Hatched border.
Provenance1966, sold by two private collectors from Kavala, Greece, to Charles S. Lipson, Beacon Hill Coin Co., Boston [see note]; 1967, sold by Beacon Hill Coin Co. to the MFA. (Accession Date: May 10, 1967)
NOTE: According to MFA curator Cornelius Vermeule, a brother and sister from Kavala, Greece, showed MFA accession nos. 67.624-624 to him and to MFA director Perry Rathbone in August 1966. The gems were purchased instead by Beacon Hill Coin Co. and later offered to the MFA.
NOTE: According to MFA curator Cornelius Vermeule, a brother and sister from Kavala, Greece, showed MFA accession nos. 67.624-624 to him and to MFA director Perry Rathbone in August 1966. The gems were purchased instead by Beacon Hill Coin Co. and later offered to the MFA.