Hellenistic Necklace with Gold- and Glass Beads

Culture: Greek

Period: 3rd-1st century B.C.

Material: Gold, glass, bitumen

Dimensions: 75 cm long

Price: 4 000 Euro

Ref: 2637

Provenance: Austrian private collection Prof. Josef Mairitsch (1938-1994). Acquired prior to 1970. Thence in the family estate. With a copy of the collection note.

Condition: Gold foils of the lower beads burst and glued. Gold foils of two of the three bitumen beads also torn and with missing parts. Gilded glass beads are intact and of wonderful quality.

Description: Interesting Hellenistic gold necklace consisting of 119 pieces, which are belonging throughout. In the centre hangs an elliptical bead of brownish glass with inlayed white glass threads. On the ends it is set in hallmarked gold caps with eyelets at the bottom, where two bitumen beads covered with hammered gold sheet hang. Above wonderfully gold shimmering, spherical glass beads, which originate from a workshop from the Black Sea and are dated to the 2nd to 1st century B.C. See for these beads of colourless glass which were gilded and also popular as collier beads during the Hellenistic period: “Les Verres Antiques du Musée du Louvre”, p. 155. no. 200. Between two beads covered with hammered gold sheet with ribbed decoration. Modern threaded.