Hellenistic Gold Amulet of Astarte

Culture: Greek

Period: 4th-3rd century B.C.

Material: Gold

Dimensions: 2.8 cm high; 6 grams

Price: Sold

Ref: 2452

Provenance: From an old French private collection.

Condition: The large wings on the back with minor corrosion holes and stabilized. Overall the pendant is complete and ready to wear.

Description: Elaboratly worked out gold amulet in form of the winged goddess Astarte. In the Hellenistic depiction the Syrian goddess of the sky and love holds a dove as a symbol of fertility in her hand. Astarte with long, sideways cascading hair and fine features. The mouth is formed to a smile. She has her arms in front of her chest and holds in her right hand a large dove, in her left a long feather. The legs are closed and straight. The goddess has two pairs of wings, the large wings cover almost the entire body length and are decorated with granulated fringes and semicircles formed by granules. Behind the head another highly raised, smaller, striped pair of wings. The stripes decorated with deep notches. Above the head and on the back below an eyelet for suspension. A very beautiful Hellenistic amulet from the eastern Mediterranean region, possibly Cyprus.