necklace (?) | British Museum

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necklace(?)

Object Type
Museum number: 134628
Description: Gold necklace (?); three oval plaques; outer two have sockets in which are fixed loop-in-loop chains whose outer ends enter similar sockets with loops for attachment to clasp; central disc decorated with granulation and set with dull dark brown glass oval setting; outer ones with eagles repoussé in chests and eyes of which are stones, now ill-matched and ill-fitting; three are re-used beads and the fourth a round turquoise stone; V-shaped cuts at the back of each of the outer two plaques which have been subsequently filled with a dark grey resinous material.
Cultures/periods
Production date: 1stC-3rdC (?)
Findspot: Excavated/Findspot: Dailaman (said to be from)
Materials: gold; garnet; turquoise
Technique: repoussé; granulation
Dimensions: Diameter: 3.50 - 4 centimetres (outer disks); Diameter: 3.90 - 4.50 centimetres (central disk); Length: 4.00 - 4.50 centimetres (discs); Length: 11 centimetres (chain); Length: 35 centimetres (overall); Weight: 75.70 grammes (weighed 25 October 1995)
Curator's comments: Questionable arrangement of plaques. Compare Loukonine [sic] & Ivanov (eds), 'Persian Art: Lost Treasures' (London: Sirocco, 2003), p.74, cat. no. 38, a belt-buckle with a prominent oval garnet set in a central cloison and surrounded by triangular arrangements of granulation, attributed a 4th century date but re-using a 2nd-3rd century gem [= Hermitage, ex-Nelidov coll., acq. in Turkey). Additional bibliography: 7000 Years of Persian Art p.126, cat. 740, pl. LXXV.; Unpublished Cernuschi catalogue entry Gold necklace with eagle Said to be from Daylaman, Iran Possibly 1st - 3rd century AD Gold, glass, turquoise, garnet L 35 cm, weight 76 g Ghirshman 1961: 126, pl. LXXV, no. 740; British Museum 1967: 38, pl. XVb; Du Ry 1969: 159; Pinder-Wilson 1971: no. 67; Philby 1981: 93; Musche 1988: 145, taf. XLII, type 4.7.3; Curtis 1989: 60, fig. 70; Collon 1995: 195, fig. 160; Seipel ed. 1996: 225, 396, no. 70 London, The British Museum, ANE 134628 (1965-2-15,1) This necklace is composed of three oval hollow gold disk-shaped plaques linked by gold wire twisted through loops attached to the edges of each disk. The outer two disks have sockets on the outer edges in which are fixed two short gold loop-in-loop chains, whose outer ends enter similar sockets with loops for attachment to a clasp. The central disk measures 4.5 x 3.9 cm across and contains a prominent central setting framed by a double border of granulation separated by alternating triangles of further granulation. Raman analysis confirms that the dull brown central setting is glass rather than semi-precious stone. The clasp junction between the central and outer disks is clumsy and possibly is not original. Each of the outer disks (4 x 3.5 cm; 1 cm thick) is decorated in repoussé on one side with an eagle with displayed wings and holding a ring in its beak; the heads are seen in profile, the eyes and chests were originally set with coloured inlays, later partially replaced with a garnet bead and a flake of turquoise. The central portion of the back of these outer disks was cut, possibly at this later stage, in order to make V-shaped incisions which were subsequently filled with a dark grey resinous material. Semi-quantitative analysis by X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) on the outer discs gave a similar result: 84-86% gold, 11-12% silver and 2-5% copper, whereas the central disc is 78-81% gold, 15-17% silver and 3-5 % copper. The iconography of an eagle holding a ring in its beak as a symbol of kingship is common in Parthian and Sasanian art, but the form of the central disk and the method of inlaying is more characteristic of Parthian jewellery. The sources for reconstructing jewellery of this period include coin portraits, Parthian and Elymaian rock reliefs, Hatrene and Palmyrene sculpture, whereas excavated grave groups and hoards from Haftashan, Seleucia-on-the-Tigris and Uruk-Warka offer further archaeological information. The present object was purchased in 1965 from Mrs Elsa Rabenou and was said to come from Daylaman. Several comparable pieces to this exist, including others also reportedly from northern or north-west Iran (Ghirshman 1961: 126, pl. LXXVI, no. 741; anon. 1974: no. 80; Lukonin 1977: 135). Loop-in-loop chainwork is commonly depicted on mid-2nd and 3rd century sculpture from Palmyra and Hatra, and was used for Parthian jewellery excavated at Dura (e.g. Ghirshman 1962: 80, 93, 95; Pope ed. 1938: vol. I, 466, vol. IV, pl. 139.D), and a pair of pendant earrings excavated at Seleucia feature similar large oval settings with plain frames (Pope ed. 1938: vol. IV, pl. 139.J,P). However, there are no exact parallels from an excavated context for the present arrangement, and the variation in the composition and use of recycled or second-rate settings suggests that some elements do not belong. St J. Simpson, S. La Niece & J. Ambers; "Treasures of the World's Cultures: The British Museum after 250 Years" catalogue entry Gold necklace with eagle Possibly 1st - 3rd century Said to be from Daylaman, Iran Gold, glass, turquoise, garnet L 35 cm, weight 76 g ANE 134628 R. Ghirshman, Sept milles ans d'art en Iran (Paris 1961), p. 126, pl. LXXV, no. 740; B. Musche, Vorderasiatischer Schmuck zur Zeit der Arsakiden und der Sasaniden (Leiden/New York 1988), p. 145, taf. XLII, type 4.7.3; J. Curtis, Ancient Persia (London 1989), p 60, fig. 70; W. Seipel ed., Weihrauch und Seide: Alte Kulturen an der Seidenstrasse. Catalogue of the exhibition held at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien, 21 January - 14 April 1996 (Vienna 1996), pp. 225, 396, no. 70 The iconography of an eagle holding a ring in its beak as a symbol of kingship is common in Parthian and Sasanian art. However, the form of the central disk and the method of inlaying are more characteristic of Parthian jewellery and this object is usually dated between the 1st and 3rd centuries. The customary sources for reconstructing jewellery of this period include excavated jewellery, coin portraits, rock reliefs and other sculptures, although an exact parallel for this combination does not exist. This necklace is composed of three hollow gold disk-shaped plaques decorated in repoussé and granulation, linked by gold wire twisted through loops attached to the edges of each disk. Scientific analysis within the British Museum indicates the inlays to be brown glass (possibly intended to imitate chalcedony or garnet), a flake of turquoise and a small re-used garnet bead. The composition of the different components ranges from 78-81% to 84-86% gold and contains a varying amount of silver and copper.
Bibliographic references: Curtis 1989a / Ancient Persia (p. 60, fig. 70); Seipel W 1996a / Weihrauch und Seide: Alte Kulturen an der Seidenstrasse. Catalogue of the exhibition held at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien, 21 January - 14 April 1996 (pp.225, 396, cat. 70) (cat. entry by St J. Simpson); Du Ry C J 1969a / Art of the Ancient Near and Middle East (p.159) (attributed 2ndC BC - 2ndC AD date); Ghirshman R 1961a / Sept milles ans d'art en Iran (p.126, pl. LXXV, no. 740); Musche B 1988a / Vorderasiatischer Schmuck zur Zeit der Arsakiden und der Sasaniden (p.145, taf. XLII) (Type 4.7.3: poor drawing); Philby H StJ B 1981a / The Queen of Sheba (p.93) (illustration of); Collon 1995a / Ancient Near Eastern Art (p.195, fig. 160: bottom); British Museum Report of the Trustees 1966 / Report of the Trustees 1966 (p. 38, pl. XVb); Curtis 2000a / Ancient Persia (p.71, fig. 81: bottom); Pinder-Wilson 1971a / Royal Persia: a commemoration of Cyrus the Great and his successors on the occasion of the 2500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire (no.67)
Location: Not on display
Exhibition history: Exhibited: 2012 Nov - 2013 Feb, Kunsthalle, Bonn, Germany, Treasures of the World's Cultures 2012 April - August, Abu Dhabi, Manarat Al Saadiyat, 'Treasures of the World’s Cultures' 2007 14 Sep-2 Dec, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Treasures of the World's Cultures 2007 3 Feb-27 May, Taipei, National Palace Museum, Treasures of the World's Cultures 2005 29 Jun-2006 8 Jan, BM, G69a, 'Iran before Islam: Religion and Propaganda, AD 224-652' 1996 17 Jan-14 Apr, Austria, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches museum, Weihrauch und Seide – geld und Luxus aus dem Antiken Orient 1995-2005 17 Nov- BM, G52/IRAN/13/39 1994 BM, G49/IRAN/13 1975- BM, Iranian Room [IR], case 16/3 1971 BM, 'Royal Persia: a commemoration of Cyrus the Great and his successors on the occasion of the 2500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire'
Condition: V-shaped tears on the reverse of the two end roundels; minor scratch on the upper edge of the central roundel.
Subjects
Acquisition name
Acquisition date: 1965
Acquisition notes: Offered 9 December 1963 (deposit book entry 1691), together with other objects, including 134963.
Department: Middle East
BM/Big number: 134628
Registration number: 1965,0215.1
Conservation

Free entry

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