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A pair of Roman gold and garnet African head earrings 2 image 1
A pair of Roman gold and garnet African head earrings 2 image 2
Lot 223

1 May 2013, 10:30 BST
London, New Bond Street

£8,000 - £10,000

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A pair of Roman gold and garnet African head earrings
Circa 1st-2nd Century A.D.
Each composed of a finely carved garnet bead in the form of an African head with short incised hair, strung with double gold wire connected above and below to a tapering thick loop of twisted wire, the ear hook curving back on itself to form an s-shape, 1¾in (3.5cm) long including hook (2)

Footnotes

Provenance:
American private collection, 1960s.

Literature:
This type of African head garnet pendants originates from Greece, and most date from the 2nd-1st century B.C. For example, a pair of earrings in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, acc. no. 57.1562-3. This finely-carved example, however, dates to the Roman period.

Additional information

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