Greek, Hellenistic, ca. 2nd to 1st century BCE. A stunning diadem featuring sixteen 22 karat gold laurel leaves with embossed lanceolate shapes, each one devised as three joined leaves, carefully cut from gold sheet and skillfully impressed with leaf vein detailing, attached to a modern woven gold-tone wire circlet. The ancient Greeks used aromatic laurel or bay (Laurus nobilis) leaves for cooking and attributed magical properties to them. In addition, the laurel leaf has long been a symbol of honor, celebration, and triumph. The gold sheet is too delicate to test; however, its saturated yellow hues lead us to believe it is of a high karat, perhaps 22 to 24 K. Size: 22.5" L x 7" W x 1.875" H (57.2 cm x 17.8 cm x 4.8 cm); 8.875" H (22.5 cm) on included custom stand.

The diadem is one of the oldest and most characteristic articles of women's jewelry that originated in the Greek world. While wreaths and coronets were worn by men as signs of social or political status, and as funerary objects, diadem were worn solely by women, usually strictly for decorative purposes. Numerous examples in gold have been found in necropolises in southern Italy, Macedonia, and on the Black Sea coast, testifying to the great refinement of Greek jewelry-making during the Hellenistic period, and to the widespread diffusion of decorative motifs throughout the Mediterranean basin.

A museum quality piece that compares to other fine examples in museum collections such as the Louvre Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Provenance: private Davis collection, Houston, Texas, USA; ex-Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, New York, USA, acquired on December 14, 2011; ex-private French collection

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All leaves are ancient; circlet to which they are attached is modern. Minor curling/bending to some leaves. Some show tiny losses and mineral deposits. However, overall these leaves are in amazing condition and have fared the tests of time quite well.