Barakat Gallery
Skip to main content
  • Menu
  • Home
  • Artworks
  • Exhibitions
  • About
  • Contact
Menu
  • Menu

The Barakat Collection

Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Roman Bronze Pendant, 1 Century BCE - 4th Century CE
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Roman Bronze Pendant, 1 Century BCE - 4th Century CE
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Roman Bronze Pendant, 1 Century BCE - 4th Century CE

Roman Bronze Pendant, 1 Century BCE - 4th Century CE

Bronze
6.5
SP.508
Enquire
%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ERoman%20Bronze%20Pendant%3C/span%3E%2C%20%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1%20Century%20BCE%20%20-%20%204th%20Century%20CE%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EBronze%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E6.5%3C/div%3E

Further images

  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 1 ) Thumbnail of additional image
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 2 ) Thumbnail of additional image
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 3 ) Thumbnail of additional image
This bronze item may have served as a pendant of some sort. Due to the form of the item, which does not appear to open, its purpose is uncertain. Its...
Read more
This bronze item may have served as a pendant of some sort. Due to the form of the item, which does not appear to open, its purpose is uncertain. Its shape resembles a slender lyre, comprised of two snakes flanking a long, segmented spine. At the base is a circular shape from which the object may have hung on a chain or lanyard. Just below the snakes’ necks, they are constrained by a clasp of some sort. During fabrication, this component must have been fitted over the snakes’ heads and then their necks bent over to their current position. The item vaguely resembles a caduceus, a symbol associated with the god Hermes, which is also comprised of two snakes. This symbol has been often mistaken for the staff of Asclepius, comprised of only one snake, and in modern times it has been associated with the field of medicine, due to the formal similarity of the two symbols.

The snake was an animal that was sacred to several deities, including Asclepius, the god of healing. In Greco-Roman ideology, not yet influenced by Biblical connotations, the snake was symbolic of wisdom and even immortality, perhaps from the fact that it shed its skin as an act of renewal. In this charming artifact, whatever its original purpose, we come face to face with the ancients’ quest for immortality by way of their art and legends. Holding this in our hands, we confirm that their ideas have survived the ages and indeed achieved immortality.
Close full details
Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
Previous
|
Next
23341 
of  28197

London

48 Albemarle Street,

London, W1S 4JW

info@barakatgallery.eu 

 

       


 

CONTACT | TEAM | PRESS 

 

Seoul
58-4, Samcheong-ro,
Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82 02 730 1949
barakat@barakat.kr
             

 

Los Angeles

941 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90069
+1 310 859 8408

contact@barakatgallery.com

  


 

 

Facebook, opens in a new tab.
Instagram, opens in a new tab.
Send an email
View on Google Maps
Manage cookies
Copyright © 2025 Barakat Gallery
Site by Artlogic


Manage cookies
Accept

Cookie preferences

Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use

Cookie options
Required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
Improve your experience on the website by storing choices you make about how it should function.
Allow us to collect anonymous usage data in order to improve the experience on our website.
Allow us to identify our visitors so that we can offer personalised, targeted marketing.
Save preferences
Close

Join our mailing list

Sign Up

* denotes required fields