Roman 23K+ Gold Chain Necklace w/ Domed Pendant

Late Roman, Imperial Period, 3rd century CE. An elegant 23K+ Roman gold necklace (96% gold) comprised of substantial chain, a beautiful 23K+ gold domed pendant with a border that is comprised of a 'beaded" register, and an additional dangling loop decorated with applied granules at the opposite end (in relation to the hemispheric pendant) of the necklace. The women of the Roman Empire donned a wide assortment of jewelry. We know this to be true, because elite Roman women were laid to rest in sarcophagi painted with encaustic funerary portraits that depicted the deceased as youthful beauties dressed in refined clothing and bejeweled in elaborate necklaces and earrings. In addition, the sculpted stone portraits of the caravan city of Palmyra in Syria show the deceased donning jewelry, no doubt indicating their wealth and high social status for all eternity. Weight: 16.2 grams. Gold quality: 96%, equivalent to over 23 karat. Size: 14.25" L (necklace including pendant) x .625" Diameter (pendant) (36.2 cm x 1.6 cm)

While it is possible that this pendant was simply intended to be a decorative hemisphere and abstract in nature, it is also possible that it was intended to represent an architectural dome, an innovation made possible by the Roman's invention of concrete, or a celestial orb such as the sun or the moon. The Romans were excellent engineers and monumental domes created for edifices like the famous Pantheon began to eclipse traditional post and lintel architecture by the 1st century BCE in ancient Rome. As for the Romans' worship of celestial bodies such as the sun and the moon, much can be said. The Roman god Sol (Greek Helios) was believed to ride a golden chariot that carried the sun across the skies every day from East to West. In addition to appearing on beautiful painted vases riding his golden chariot in the background of imagery narrating the Hercules (Herakles) story, gracing the faces of coins of Rhodes - his patron city, as well as the east pediment of the Parthenon where he emerges from the ocean in his chariot, Helios is perhaps most famously the subject of the Colossus of Rhodes, a monumental bronze statue regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Luna (Selene to the Greeks), goddess of the moon, also drove her steeds across the heavens.

For more information about Roman gold jewelry read: Oliver, Jr., Andrew. "Greek, Roman, and Etruscan Jewelry" The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, May 1966, pp. 269-284. Alexander, Christine. 1928. Jewelry: The Art of the Goldsmith in Classical Times as Illustrated in the Museum Collection. p. 11, fig. 12, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Provenance: ex-Frances Artuner collection, Belgium, collected in the 1960s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#151666 Dimensions: Condition Report: Indentations to the domed boss. Otherwise superb. Chain links are intact and excellent. One link is a tad misshapen but still functions. All elements are ancient. Gold has developed a beautiful warm patina over time.