Phoenix Ancient Art S.A.

Composed of settings with beaded edging and colored inlays, this necklace’s elaborate centerpiece is linked on both sides to two cordlike, loop-in-loop chains; these terminate in finely molded lynx-head finials that hold small loops in their open mouths. The broad, gold frames of the seven box settings contrast with their colored inlays. A large garnet occupies the center; this oval cabochon is flanked by two slightly smaller emerald ones, which are themselves framed by oval garnets, and finally by a circular setting at each end containing a garnet. All of these are joined by tiny hinges. Below, an elaborate arrangement in the shape of a butterfly is supported by short chains attached to the animal’s naturally rendered wings.

Necklaces such as this one reflect the taste for color and splendor prevalent in the late Hellenistic period. The use of hinges to connect even small elements illustrates period goldsmiths’ particular interest in arriving at technical solutions that were previously unknown.

The butterfly is by no means simply a decorative motif, but a symbol of eternal love. It represents Psyche, the personification of the soul, with whose beauty Eros himself fell in love. Psyche is usually represented as a young girl with small butterfly wings. This subject is known in late Hellenistic jewelry, and there are several necklaces that refer to it. The closest parallel is a butterfly necklace from the Olbia Treasure, now in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. There are also other butterfly necklaces, one in the Kofler-Truninger Collection, allegedly from southern Russia; another from Chersonesus, in southern Russia; and a third in the British Museum, London, reportedly from Italy. Similar in composition and style are a necklace from Palaiocastro, Thessaly, in the National Museum, Athens and another from the Artjukhov Barrow in southern Russia.