ARCHAIC PERIOD, CIRCA EARLY 5TH CENTURY B.C.

Details

A GREEK CARNELIAN SCARAB WITH A NUDE ARCHER
ARCHAIC PERIOD, CIRCA EARLY 5TH CENTURY B.C.
3/8 in. (1 cm.) long

Provenance

Giorgio Sangiorgi (1886-1965), Rome, acquired and brought to Switzerland, late 1930s; thence by continuous descent to the current owners.

Literature

J. Boardman and C. Wagner, Masterpieces in Miniature: Engraved Gems from Prehistory to the Present, London, 2018, p. 22, no. 15.

Lot Essay

On this small scarab a nude archer sits on a hatched groundline with his legs spread, his frontal torso accurately depicted. His right arm is extends outward, his hand holds his bow and two arrows, while his left hand is raised and open behind his profile head. His mouth is agape, lending an expression of surprise. As Boardman and Wagner note (op. cit., p. 22), the posture is unusual.

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