Lot 4036
A diadem made of electron plate and sheet silver, Copper Age of Anatolia, 2nd half of the 3rd millennium B.C.
Works of Art, Antiquities & Ancient Art | A102kua | Live auction | 571 Lots
Description
Sheet metal diadem made from naturally occurring electron alloy (approx. 8 carat gold). The sheet metal band tapers from 4.8 to 2.5 cm at both ends and is curled around a bronze wire at the top and bottom edges from the back to the front, so that a bulging edge borders the smooth surface in between. Directly in the centre of the diadem, a pattern is embossed with punches on the front from behind: a "St Andrew's cross" over a vertical "centre bar". The intersection of the lines is marked with a circle of punches. At the upper and lower ends of the lines there are three horizontally arranged dot punches. The electron plate finishes at the ends of the diadem and is extended by silver plates, which are also bent around the bronze wire and additionally attached to the electron band with a silver rivet. The bronze wire, on which the plates are bent, is exposed at the rear ends and forms a loop on each side so that the tiara could be closed and worn with a band of organic material to adjust its size. Similar diadems made of precious metal are documented from royal burials in Copper Age rulers' necropolises (e.g. Alaca Hüyük). Length when bent approx. 20 cm, width approx. 18 cm, maximum width at the forehead 4.8 cm. Weight 143.40 g.Provenance: Rhenish private collection, acquired in the early 1990s in the Cologne art trade.
Condition: II Questions about the lot?
