Necklace with silenus masks

Necklace with silenus masks

The ornate necklace consists of four rows of herring bone chains woven together to form a long flat band, from which hang four series of pendants woven and framed by a mesh of similar chains: the decoration consists, in order, of acorns alternating with other lotus flowers, silenus masks, larger acorns and other lotus flowers. The necklace is closed at each extremity by triple-ring clasps with a small sphere in relief. The pendants are made by embossing thin metal sheets and completed using various techniques: the acorns and lotus flowers have a fine powder decoration while the wrinkles on the forehead and the beards of the Silenus masks, obtained using the same mould but finished individually, are engraved while the hair worked using granulation. They are all sealed at the back by a thin sheet. The necklace is of the highest quality and is of Etruscan origin; it was probably made in a town in Campania. It was bought by Don Michele Ficco at Ruvo, and there are no details as to its provenance.