Greek Cyclades Archaic hippocamp seal
G23£2,000.00
Available
A very rare lentoid disc shaped bone seal decorated with a figure of a winged hippocamp.
The style of the carving suggests it may be related to the workshop of the “Blind Dolphin Master” (see below).
The hippocampus or sea-horse was a mythological creature believed to have the head and upper body of a horse and the tail of a fish, often combined with wings.
Culture
Greek, Cyclades, possibly Melos, c. 600 BC
Condition
Intact as shown, only minor peripheral losses
Size
1.7 cms diameter
Provenance
Ex. private collection, Bayeux, France; collected before 1940.
For comparable examples and a brief description of the output of the “Blind Dolphin Master” please see: Greek Gems and Finger-Rings, Sir John Boardman, pages 120-121 and plates 235-242.