Gold snake ring

ca. 330–300 BCE

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 158

Gold snake ring, ending in serpents' heads, part of the Madytos Jewelry.

This group of jewelry is said to have come from a tomb at Madytos on the European side of the Hellespont. The gold diadem is richly worked in repousse with an elaborate floral pattern. Dionysos, the god of wine, and his wife, Ariadne, sit in the center; muses playing musical instruments perch among the vines and along the sides. The tiny figure of a must playing a lyre also appears just above the crescent form on each of the boat-shaped earrings. The seedlike pendants of the earrings are identical to those on the elaborate necklace.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Gold snake ring
Period: Hellenistic
Date: ca. 330–300 BCE
Culture: Greek
Medium: Gold
Dimensions: Other: 7/8in. (2.2cm)
Classification: Gold and Silver
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1906
Object Number: 06.1217.2
Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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