Bead with Ram's Head
Bead with Ram's Head
Place of OriginLikely Syria, Lebanon, or Israel/Palestine
Date6th-5th century BCE
DimensionsLength: 1 in. (2.5 cm); Width: 9/16 in. (1.5 cm); Depth; 5/8 in. (1.6 cm)
MediumRod-formed; tooled and applied features and suspension ring.
ClassificationJewelry
Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1976.60
Not on View
DescriptionSmall pendant in the likeness of a ram's head. Dark brown ground with a face striped in opaque white, with a few opaque yellow streaks on the forehead; opaque yellow nostrils and mouth; opaque yellow eyes with dark brown centers; short opaque white ears; vestiges of a pale blue vertical suspension ring; dark brown curving horns, flattened, with several opaque white streaks. Elongated pyramidal shape.
Label TextThese intricate glass pendants, produced centuries before the invention of glassblowing, demonstrate the skill of Phoenician artisans in the Eastern Mediterranean. Using a technique called rod-forming, glassmakers wound hot threads of colored glass around a metal core to sculpt minute details, such as the beard of a male head or the horns of a ram. The staring eyes and vibrant yellows and blues were not merely decorative; these objects functioned as apotropaic amulets, worn to ward off the "evil eye" and protect the wearer from misfortune. This specific group (1923.354A-S, 1976.54-1976.60) constitutes one of the most significant collections of its kind in the United States. Acquired from the Thomas E. H. Curtis collection, these pendants were identified by scholar Monique Seefried as originating primarily from the Syro-Palestinian coast (modern Lebanon and Israel) rather than Carthage (with the possible exception of 1976.56).Published ReferencesSeefried, Monique, Les pendentifs en verre sur noyau des pays de la Mediterranee antique, Collection de l'Ecole Francaise de Rome, no. 57, Rome, 1982, p. 134, no. E Ic 3, fig. 6.
Grose, David F., Early Ancient Glass: Core-Formed, Rod-Formed, and Cast Vessels and Objects from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Roman Empire, 1600 B.C. to A.D. 50, New York, Hudson Hills Press in association with the Toledo Museum of Art, 1989, cat. no. 46, p. 89, repr. (col.) p. 71.
Late 6th-5th century BCE
Late 6th through 5th century BCE
5th or 4th century BCE
Late 6th - 3rd century BCE
6th through 5th century BCE
Late 6th-3rd century BCE
Late 7th through 5th century BCE
3rd century BCE
3rd century BCE
3rd century BCE
3rd century BCE
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