Phoenician Glass Amulet in the Form of a Bearded Man

Culture: Phoenician

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

Material: Glass

Dimensions: 2.7 cm high

Price: 3 200 Euro

Ref: 6668

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

Condition: Signs of weathering, as visible in the photo. A stable crack runs through the eyes and continues beneath the ears. Overall, very well preserved.

Description: Finely worked glass head of a bearded man, drilled vertically for suspension. The face, with mouth and nose, as well as the ears, are formed of opaque yellow glass. The round black eyes are set against a white ground and are framed in black. The man wears a long black beard styled in vertical strands. His hair, of the same color, frames the forehead in a semicircular contour. The smooth eyebrows extend from the hairline to the nose. White earrings hang from the earlobes. The back of the head is smooth. Probably from Carthage. See for the type featuring a yellow face, dark beard, and large round eyes, the glass head in the Miho Museum in Koka, Japan. See also the head published in: „Les Verres Antiques du Musée du Louvre“, p. 27, no. 6. For a similar bearded head from Carthage, see Christie’s auction of 2 May 2013, lot 2. Mounted on a custom-made metal stand.