Ancient Greece, Geometric period, ca. 8th century BCE. An intriguing and rare bronze implement possibly a funerary pendant or amulet of the Geometric period. The item consists of a long central rod the four raised rows of knobs running the length of the shaft. A suspension loop, which could be strung for suspension, juts out from the top. A rich green patina envelops the surface of this unusual item. Scholars have posited that these bronze objects were jug stoppers or even pendants for the deceased to be buried with. Size: 4" L x 0.6" W (10.2 cm x 1.5 cm); 4.5" H (11.4 cm) on included custom stand.
Items like this one have been found in several areas of the northern Greek peninsula - from Macedonia to Boeotia - but their meaning is not fully known. For many years, people believed that they were used as a form of stopper for a jug or amphora, but they have never been found with a vessel, and their real use is not clear. What do you think this could have been?
Provenance: private C.Q. collection, Lexington, Virginia, USA, acquired December 7, 2013; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-prominent New York, New York, USA gallery, before 2010
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#167020
Condition
Intact and very good. Heavy green patina and mineral deposits.