Gold pectoral
Photogallery
Gold pectoral
This breastplate was worn along with the fibula belonging to the deceased, and appeared literally covered in gold before its astonished discoverers. It is formed of a single shaped sheet of metal with complex embossed decorations, executed using different punches, and structured in strips with serial motifs around a central emblem. Starting from the external strip, the decorations comprise: uniform triangles (so-called wolf’s teeth); a grazing male ibex; a gryphon; a chimera; a pegasus; a rear-facing lion with a lotus flower in its mouth; a grazing deer; a winged woman in a tunic with a lotus flower sceptre; a gryphon; two strips with a winged woman in a tunic alternated with a rear-facing lion with a lotus flower in its mouth, and another with a gryphon. In the central emblem, the following motifs are presented in series, in a series of overlapping registers: male figure between two rearing lions held by their hind legs (so-called “lord of the animals”, tamer of wild animals and living beings), rear-facing lions with lotus flowers in their mouths, a winged woman in a tunic with wild animals (“lady of the animals”), gryphons; and in the exergue, Phoenician palmettes and wolf’s teeth.