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THBTranslated Byzantine Silver Hydra Amulet - 36.9 g
Lot 133a
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$6,500 - $9,750
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Jun 20, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-06-20 10:00:00
2019-06-20 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ancient / Ethnographic From Around the World
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-from-around-the-world-4217
Around the world & back in time - be amazed at the treasures you will find. Antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Italy and the Near East, Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian Icons, Fine Art, much more! All categories, all price ranges.. all legal Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Around the world & back in time - be amazed at the treasures you will find. Antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Italy and the Near East, Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian Icons, Fine Art, much more! All categories, all price ranges.. all legal Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (447)
- Lot Description
Near East/Holy Land, Byzantine Empire, Medieval Period, ca. 10th to 12th century CE. A beautiful and wearable round medieval amulet, cast from 95% silver, featuring a series of seven serpent heads - a hydra - ringed by Greek text on one side and two groups of Greek text on the other. The front-facing text translates to, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord of hosts, full is the heaven and the earth of your glory," a reference to Isaiah, 6, 3 and the Apocryphal Apocalypse of John 17. The back translates to a frequently seen formula on amulets like this one, "womb, black, blackening, as a snake you coil and as a serpent you hiss and as a lion you roar and as a lamb lie down!" Around this is text that translates to, "All Holy Mother of God, help your servant Mariam [giving birth?]" with the final words somewhat obscured by patina. Size: 2.25" W (5.7 cm); total weight 36.9 grams with modern cord and clasp.
As Jeffrey Spier writes in the text referenced below, this is one of a diverse yet very distinctive type of magical amulets designed to help women with "hystera" or anything relating to the womb. They all feature the image of the abstract face with the serpents radiating outward from it, alongside prayers.
c. f., Jeffrey Spier, "Medieval Byzantine Magical Amulets and Their Tradition," Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 56 (1993), pp. 25-62.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Frances Artuner collection, Belgium, collected in the 1960s
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#144394Slight bending to form. Loops at the top for suspension are repaired. A few tiny hairline cracks on surface. On a modern cord. Light patina on surface, including some copper patina from exposure to a bronze item on the back.Condition
- Shipping Info
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