Earring with Nike driving a two-horse chariot (biga). Greek, Northern Greek, Late Classical or Early Hellenistic Period, about 350–325 B.C. The figures are modeled in the round and form a pendant suspended from a disc in the shape of a honeysuckle palmette. Wearing a belted chiton (tunic), a full-length skirt, and several items of jewelry, Nike leans forward, her left hand pulling on the reins of the horses, whose front legs rear sharply. The features on the goddesss face are crisp and her expression resolute, while the animals appear startled and tense. Raised as if in flight, Nikes elaborate, feathery, and finely chased wings provide an elegant counterbalance to the dynamic composition. The ornament is composed of more than a hundred individual elements soldered together. The bodies of the figures are crafted from gold sheet that is embellished with wirework details and small gold balls. The honeysuckle palmette is fashioned into curved petals and circular stamens outlined with fine twisted wires; remnants of enamel survive on several of the stamens. In the center of the leaf is a tear-shaped fruit encrusted with dense gold granulation. A hoop on the underside was probably attached to an ear wire, which is now missing.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:49:00 +0000
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