A rare Greco-Phoenician green jasper scarab intaglio, mounted in an ancient gold ring. Hunting scene.
intaglio 13 x 16 x 9 mm; ring internal size 20 x 23 mm; gr. 8,60
A lion attacks a bull, and stands above it to bite it with ferocity on the back. Use of globular elements and dashed engravings. The specimen is placed in the typical glyptic production of Phoenician or Greek-Phoenician scarabs in green jasper, with the typical hunting scene of oriental inspiration. Dotted frame engraved around the scene. Ancient gold setting, presumably Etruscan (4th century BC). Wear marks on the bezel. Attractive stone color. For comparisons: Beazley Archive "Classical Phoenician Scarab Corpus" database (section: hunting scenes, eg .: Visc. Asquer Coll. From Tharros. Marmora, pl. B 63; Perrot, 658, fig. 475. BH. Similar to 39 / 21. III); Jeffrey Spier, Ancient gems and finger rings. Catalog of the collections. The J. Paul Getty Museum, p. 52 ff .; J. Boardman, Classical Phoenician Scarab. A catalog and study; J. Boardman, Greek gems and finger rings, n. 393, 414 et ss. This lot is listed in an invoice from parisian gallery Mythes et Légendes by Michel Cohen in 1986, mentionning that the piece was formerly in Arthur Sambon (1867-1947) collection.
5th century BC.