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Image for Necklace with Butterfly Pendant
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Image for Necklace with Butterfly Pendant
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Image for Necklace with Butterfly Pendant
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Necklace with Butterfly Pendant Thumbnail
Necklace with Butterfly Pendant Thumbnail
Necklace with Butterfly Pendant Thumbnail
Necklace with Butterfly Pendant Thumbnail
Necklace with Butterfly Pendant Thumbnail
Necklace with Butterfly Pendant Thumbnail
Necklace with Butterfly Pendant Thumbnail
Necklace with Butterfly Pendant Thumbnail
Necklace with Butterfly Pendant Thumbnail
Necklace with Butterfly Pendant Thumbnail

Necklace with Butterfly Pendant

Greek (Artist)
late 2nd-1st century BC (Hellenistic)
gold, amethyst, chalcedony, emerald, rock crystal, pearl, and colored glass
(Ancient Greece , Jewelry)

Elaborate diadems or necklaces featuring centerpieces of inlaid stones, pendants, and beaded chains go back to 3rd- and 2nd-century Greek jewelry. This necklace was found on the neck of the deceased; as the symbol of the soul, the butterfly was an appropriate motif for a burial gift.

Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

[Discovered in 1891, in a tomb near Olbia, Parutino, Ukraine]; Postnikov, Moscow, by purchase [from a local dealer in Ukraine]; Spinks, London, by purchase [around the turn of the century]; Peter Mavrogordato, 1913, by purchase [on the art market]; Collection of F. L. van Gans?, Frankfurt, 1913-1920, by purchase; Galerie Bachstitz, The Hague [catalogue 1921, part II, lot 92 B]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1926, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Exhibitions

2019-2021 Excursions through the Collection: Portraiture, Adornment, and the Natural World.
1988-1989 From Alexander to Cleopatra: Greek Art of the Hellenistic Age. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
1979-1980 Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.

Conservation

Date Description Narrative
2/28/1979 Treatment cleaned; stabilized
10/28/1988 Treatment other
10/28/1988 Treatment repaired
11/8/1988 Treatment stabilized
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Geographies

Greece (Place of Origin) Ukraine, Parutino (Olbia) (Place of Discovery)

Measurements

2 15/16 x 13 x 1/2 in. (7.5 x 33 x 1.3 cm);
12 7/8 in. (32.7 cm) (l.)

Credit Line

Acquired by Henry Walters, 1926

Location in Museum

Centre Street: Second Floor: Ancient Treasury

Accession Number

In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.

57.386

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Hours

  • Wednesday—Sunday: 10 a.m.—5 p.m.
  • Thursday: 1–8 p.m.
  • Monday—Tuesday: Closed

Location

600 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD
21201

Phone

410-547-9000

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