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Scaraboid gem with a fly
Greek
Classical Period
5th–4th century B.C.
Medium/Technique
Rock crystal
Dimensions
Length: 18 mm (11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Theodora Wilbour Fund in memory of Zoë Wilbour
Accession Number63.481
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Scarabs and scaraboids
DescriptionIntaglio. Pierced for stringing (horizontal). A fly seen from above. The body of the fly is divided into three sections: head, mid-section, and posterior body/tail. The head, in the shape of a flattened half-moon, has two antennae sticking out from the center, and a pair of (unjointed) legs from either side. A second pair of (jointed) legs extend from the trapezoidally-shaped mid-section of the body, and two more, closely spaced pairs of legs extend back from the posterior section of the body. The posterior section of the body is indicated by a triangle representing the center of the back, where the wings overlap. The slightly curved wings are outlined by a deeply cut line, with five decorative diagonal lines per wing.
ProvenanceBy date unknown: with Euripides Sepheriades; May 3, 1963: purchased by MFA from Euripides Sepheriades