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Scaraboid gem with lion attacking wild goat

Greek
Archaic Period
550–500 B.C.

Medium/Technique Glass
Dimensions Length: 15.5 x 12.8 mm (5/8 x 1/2 in.)
Credit Line Gift of Burton Y. Berry in memory of Michel Chiha of Beirut
Accession Number69.1196
NOT ON VIEW

DescriptionDark blue glass paste. Imitation scaraboid with intaglio on flat face and horizontal ridge down the back. A lion attacks a wild goat, sinking its jaws into the animal from behind. The lion is on the left, and the goat faces right. Given the extensive pitting of the gem’s surface, it is difficult to make out much of the lion’s body, which seems to meld with the goat’s, but its tail is discernable, as well as its hind legs. The lion is depicted in an Orientalizing fashion, with its stylized mane rendered with a series of hatch marks. The edges of the gem are very rough and chipped, and the back surface and sides are very pitted. It is pierced horizontally for mounting or suspension.
ProvenanceSaid to be from near Mersin, Turkey on MFA archival card; by date unknown: Burton Y. Berry Collection; gift to MFA from Burton Y. Berry in Memory of Michel Chiha of Beirut, October 15, 1969