Greek
Provenance
Louis de Clercq (1882-1901) Collection, Oignies, France, acquired in the late 19th century, thence by descent to his grand-nephew Comte Henri de Boisgelin (1901 – 1967), rue de Mazarine, Paris
Literature
Such medallions were used for various decorative purposes, including as ornamentation on hairnets, cf. the example from the Stathatos Collection in National Archaeological Museum, Athens; and Princeton acc. nos. y1938-49, 50. For further discussion see Hoffmann & Davidson, Greek Gold. Jewellery from the Age of Alexander, Brooklyn, 1965, pp. 222-231. Such gold sculptural ornaments were made throughout the Hellenistic world, at a time when arguably the technical skill in goldsmithing was at its height. Such pieces have been found throughout the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, and the Levant.
Publications
A. de Ridder, Collections de Clercq, Tome VII, Les bijoux et les pierres gravées, Paris, 1911, p.242, no. 1349 (original label no C-192).