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Scarab with two warriors supporting a wounded comrade
Italic, Etruscan
Classical Period
480–430 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Banded agate
Dimensions
Length: 1.7 cm (11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Catharine Page Perkins Fund
Accession Number95.77
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Scarabs and scaraboids
DescriptionBlack and white banded agate. Two warriors support a wounded comrade. All three warriors are nude and wear crested helmets. At left, a warrior, with no beard, is shown in profile, and reaches for his fallen companion. At right, a bearded warrior is depicted in combination of profile and frontal views (head and left leg in profile; torso shown frontal); his right leg is obscured by the central figure. He carries a round shield on his right arm; his shield is partially visible above his shoulder. His left foot follows the line of the hatched border and is awkwardly bent to fit in the field. The central figure, also bearded, has fallen to his knees. His torso is frontal and head in profile to the left. He carries a round shield on his right arm, which is seen in the background. Hatched border. The modeling of the figures harkens back to the earlier Archaic period.
ProvenanceAccording to Warren's records: by date unknown: Howel Wills Collection, Florence; sold at Christie's, Feb. 1894, as lot 112; 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)