Phoenician Glass Amulet Depicting a Bearded Man

Culture: Phoenician

Period: 5th-4th century B.C.

Material: Glass

Dimensions: 2,5 cm high

Price: 4 000 Euro

Ref: 6669

Provenance: Rassla Foundation, Zurich, Dr. Giancarlo Ligabue (1931-2015), acquired in the 1970s.

Condition: Unrestored, with attractive silver iridescence. The loop likely already lost in antiquity.

Description: Finely crafted amulet made of opaque glass in the shape of a bearded man. The face, including the mouth, nose, and ears, is formed from yellow opaque glass. The round black eyes are set against a white ground. The man wears a light blue full beard that covers his chin and cheeks, which also represents the otherwise unarticulated hair at the back and top. Across the forehead runs a twisted headband composed of white and black glass strands. The forehead and the earlobes are adorned with small white glass beads. On the crown, traces of the suspension loop remain, by which the head was originally worn. The piece originates from Carthage. Compare the type to the glass head in the Brooklyn Museum with the accession number 37.141. The surface displays a beautiful silvery iridescence. Mounted on a custom-made metal stand.