PHOENICIAN GOLD SWIVEL RING WITH AGATE SCARAB

Ca. 600 - 400 BC. A gold swivel ring with a substantial round-section hoop, its terminals bound with tightly coiled gold wire. The agate scarab is mounted on a transverse gold pin, with a convex back and a flat underside engraved with a dense arrangement of Egyptianising hieroglyphic signs enclosed within a linear border. For similar see: The British Museum, Museum number E48502. Size: D:17.12mm / US: 6 3/4 / UK: N; Weight: 8.8g Provenance: Private London collection; previously acquired in Brussels, Belgium; initially from a Swiss private collection (1901?1981). This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.