Geometric Macedonian / Greek Bronze Pectoral

Eastern Europe, Macedonia (sphere of Greek influence), Geometric period, ca. 900 to 700 BCE. A beautiful cast bronze pectoral, its front-facing surface decorated with a series of concentric circle motifs, some in groups of four, others alone, punctuating the edges and center. Two sharply curved terminals, each delineated with a series of widened bands from the main body of the pectoral, end in sharp points and may once have been wrapped around a chain or had a chain looped through them. This style of personal adornment is sometimes called "bikini" for its shape, although its form has also been likened to a uterus (leading to a lively debate about how familiar the ancient Greeks were with internal anatomy). When first made, this highly polished item would have gleamed a dull gold on the chest. Size: 9.25" W x 4.25" H (23.5 cm x 10.8 cm); 5.45" H (13.8 cm) on included custom stand.

c.f. examples from Axiokastron, in the Kozani Museum, illustrated in Jan Bouzek, "Graeco-Macedonian Bronzes", Prague 1974, fig. 28.1 and 4, pp. 92 and 96-97.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Richard Wagner collection, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, collected in the 1960s

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#137033
Condition Report: Intact, with a mottled dark green and brown patina.