GOLD Fire Gilded Hellenistic Pecten Shell Amulet Mount 300BC Antiquity Artifact For Sale

Ancient Hellenistic / Graeco-Roman Fire-Gilded Cast Bronze Scallop Shell Applique Mount (24mm — c. 3rd Century BC – 2nd Century AD)

Authenticity & Guarantee

• Certification: Certified Authentic — includes signed Certificate of Authenticity (COA) with full provenance documentation.

• Provenance: Ex-private European collection, legally acquired from international sales; Hellenistic / Graeco-Roman Mediterranean Sphere.

Item Specifications & Exact Dimensions

• Object: Cast Bronze Fire-Gilded Scallop Shell (Pecten) Applique / Harness Mount / Box Fitting

• Culture / Period: Hellenistic Period to Early Roman Imperial Era

• Date Range: Circa 3rd Century BC – 2nd Century AD (c. 300 BC – 200 AD)

• Exact Dimensions: 24 mm height × 22 mm width

• Material: Cast Bronze (Copper Alloy) with thick Mercury Fire-Gilding (Gilt Bronze / Aurum Mussi)

• Form & Architecture: Fluted fan-shaped scallop shell (pecten) with five distinct raised radiating ribs tapering to a triangular apex; flat basal attachment bar pierced with two original rivet holes engineered to secure the mount onto leather or wood; reverse features a concave circular cupped boss setting

• Condition: Exceptional, 100% complete ancient condition. Complete structural plaque with both original attachment holes intact, displaying remarkable preservation of brilliant, thick ancient mercury gold gilding across the obverse and reverse faces. Free of modern restoration or tooling.

Aphrodite Iconography & Hellenistic Luxury Metalwork

In the Graeco-Roman world, the scallop shell was sacred to Aphrodite (Venus Marina), symbolizing beauty, rebirth, and marine protection. During the Hellenistic era, artisans across Mediterranean workshops embellished high-status personal possessions—including bronze cosmetic caskets (pyxides), leather footwear, military harness trappings, and furniture—with gilded shell appliques.

Mercury Fire-Gilding Metallurgy

The brilliant golden layer on this piece was achieved through ancient fire-gilding (amalgam gilding). High-purity gold was dissolved in boiling mercury to form a pasty amalgam, which was painted onto the bronze surface. The bronze was then fired over open coals, evaporating the toxic mercury gas and fusing a thick, durable layer of solid gold directly to the copper alloy matrix.

Typological Analysis & Exact Classification

• Primary Class: Classical Antiquity Personal Equipment / Gilded Bronze Applique

• Sub-Class: Hellenistic Pecten Shell Mount with Dual Rivet Base

• Manufacturing Technique: Lost-wax cast copper alloy with mercury fire-gilding and cold-drilled rivet holes.

Comparable Archaeological Examples & Museum Accession Numbers

• Metropolitan Museum of Art (Accession No. 74.51.5310): Hellenistic gilded bronze shell-shaped furniture and casket fittings.

• British Museum (Accession No. 1856,0701.2150): Graeco-Roman gilded bronze scallop shell mount.

• Louvre Museum (Inv. No. AO 20112): Hellenistic period Levantine gilded applique fittings.