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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1977.216.1990
Title
Coiled Band
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Arm Band with Finial at one end
Classification
Jewelry
Work Type
bracelet
Date
n.d.
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World
Culture
Unidentified culture
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/286875

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast and hammered
Dimensions
5.4 x 7.2 x 2.3 cm (2 1/8 x 2 13/16 x 7/8 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: XRF data from Artax 1
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: lead, zinc, iron, arsenic
K. Eremin, January 2014

XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: lead, iron, arsenic
K. Eremin, January 2014

Technical Observations: Overall, the patina is a dull brown; there are a few areas of metallic sheen and dots of green and black. The extremely pitted surface, which has raised areas that correspond to the dendritic microstructure of the metal, is evidence that the object has been electrochemically stripped. Very little of the original surface survives; it is only evident in the form of a few black islands with green or red corrosion products. The edges of the strip are jagged in many places as a result of mineralization and electrolytic cleaning. A gash (1.6 cm long) is present on the exterior of the band in the widest area, and there is also a small crack. One terminal of the band is broken and lost.

The object was probably cast as a metal rod that was then hammered out into a thin strip. The extant end of the strip tapers to a thickened finial that is decorated with grooves that spiral to the tip.


Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2012)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, Purchased in Rome
Accession Year
1977
Object Number
1977.216.1990
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
This flattened sheet of copper alloy is formed into a spiral of 2.25 coils (1). The sheet is widest at the midpoint of the spiral and tapers toward the ends. The preserved terminal, thicker than the coils, bears some incised segments and ends in a rounded point. The other end of the bracelet is broken near where the terminal would have been.

NOTES:

1. Compare an intact, more elaborate example in Die Thraker: Das goldene Reich des Orpheus, exh. cat., Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn; Ministerium für Kultur der Republik Bulgarien, Sofia (Mainz am Rhein, 2004) 103, no. 156.

Lisa M. Anderson

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu