A Greek Blue Chalcedony Double-Sided Gnostic Gem

Hellenistic, Circa 2nd-1st Century B.C.

Length 11/16 inch (1.75 cm).

Provenance:

Private Collection, Atlanta, 1960s or earlier.

Christie's, New York, Ancient Jewelry, 9 December 2008, Lot 251.

This gem depicts a portrait head of the demigod Herakles on the obverse, and an ouroboros circling symbols (possibly a sign for Chnoubis, the Egyptian solar icon) on the reverse. The magical legend inscription was added in the 3rd Century A.D.

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Jacob Coley

Senior Vice President, Head of Department, Antiquities and Ancient Art

[email protected]312 280 1212

Mr. Coley joined the Antiquities department in 2021 after working as Managing Director in the Ancient Art department at Colnaghi, the world’s oldest commercial art gallery, where he helped to establish the Ancient Art department and launched Colnaghi New York in 2017. Prior to Colnaghi, Mr. Coley was in the Greek and Roman Art department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Coley holds a B.A. from the University of Miami and an M.A. in Art Market from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and he earned an art-appraisal certificate from New York University.

Jewelry Through the Ages: Ancient to Neoclassical

A Greek Blue Chalcedony Double-Sided Gnostic Gem

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