142 - A RARE SCYTHIAN GOLD ‘MYTHICAL BEAST’ DRESS ORNAMENT, CIRCA 5TH CENTURY BC

A RARE SCYTHIAN GOLD ‘MYTHICAL BEAST’ DRESS ORNAMENT, CIRCA 5TH CENTURY BC Northern Black Sea region, possibly from Maikop. Finely worked in repoussé, depicting a compact feline beast standing in profile with its head sharply turned backward over the shoulder. The powerful body is modeled with rounded haunches and muscular limbs, the forelegs extended forward, while the head is rendered with a broad muzzle, prominent rounded ear, and deeply defined eye. The tightly compressed pose and emphatic turning of the head are characteristic of Scythian animal-style ornament. Pierced along the lower edge for attachment to a garment or textile. Provenance: A private collection in Europe, 1980s. New York art market, early 1990s. Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, 29 May 2013, lot 178 (mid-estimate EUR 1,750 or approx. EUR 2,200 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). A notable private collection. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. With ancient wear, small dents, warping, a loss to the tail, and signs of burial, including soil encrustations. Weight: 1.3 g (excl. stand), 8.8 g (incl. stand) Dimensions: Length 2.4 cm (excl. stand), Height 3.9 cm (incl. stand) When the nomads of the Eurasian steppes entered the region bordering on the ancient Near East, they brought with them a highly mobile lifestyle, including a sophisticated horse-riding military and a tradition of wealth display in the form of gold ornaments for their clothing, equipment, and animal trappings. By the fifth century B.C., when this gold plaque was probably made, the art of the nomads was influenced by arts from nearby settled populations, including the Greeks and the Achaemenid Persians. Literature comparison: Compare two closely related Scythian gold dress ornaments, Northern Black Sea region, possibly from Maikop, dated circa 5 th century BC, 2.9 cm (each), in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 24.97.56 and 24.97.57.