PHOENICIAN AMETHYST SCARAB DEPICTING BULL AND LIFE TREE IN GOLD SWIVEL RING

Ca. 800 - 700 BC. A purple amethyst scarab with a smooth convex back. The underside is engraved with a bull with small life tree and winged solar disck above it. It is mounted in a possibly later gold swivel ring with a plain rounded hoop and coiled terminals. Size: D:21.79mm / US: 12 1/2 / UK: Z; Weight: 8.3g Provenance: From a London private collection; purchased in Germany before 2000. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter. Studied by PD Dr. habil. Pieter Gert van der Veen, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.