Ca. AD 300 - 600.
A late Roman or Early Byzantine 20.5 ct gold legionary eagle-shaped pendant decorated with a red cabochon set in a filigree circular frame. The eagle is represented with open wings and a large tail all adorned with filigree, connected to the bottom of the eagle there are three chain pendants with red beads. For similar see: Byzantium and the West, jewellery in the first millennium, n. 14 b. This piece has undergone X-ray fluorescence analysis to confirm the metallurgical content suggesting its ancient origin and lack of modern trace elements. This piece is accompanied by a historical report from Alessandro Neri, an international Cultural Heritage expert based in Florence, Italy.
Size: 70mm x 30mm; Weight: 22g
Provenance: Property of a central London art gallery, acquired on the US art market; Ex. Byron Zoumboulakis collection, Geneva, Switzerland (1923-2006); where acquired by the previous owner in the 1990s. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.