MATERIAL: Gold
TYPE: Pendant
DIMENSIONS: Height: 3.6cm
WEIGHT: 5g
NOTES: Provenance: Ex Swiss Private Collection, late 1960s; thence by descent to the current owner; Private British Collection since at least the 1980s.
ITEM ID: 5851
A Roman Gold Pendant Menorah Design
DATE
Notes: circa 1st-3rd century A.D.
Formed from a thin sheet of gold, this square pendant is decorated in repoussé with a seven-branched menorah rising from a tripartite base. The surface shows gently undulating contours from the hammering process, with the lines of the menorah rendered in raised, rounded relief. A simple rolled suspension loop is attached at the top edge. The gold has a warm, matte lustre with minor surface irregularities consistent with ancient working and burial.
The reverse is plain, showing shallow impressions corresponding to the repoussé design on the front, and faint creases in the metal from ancient forming.
Such pendants served as personal adornments and protective emblems, the menorah being one of the most prominent symbols of Jewish identity in the Roman period.
Religious
Rare and beautiful objects related to spiritual traditions around the world.
