Golden Pin

Private Collection; 3rd c. B.C.; Photo: Calendar; (OVER) Golden Pin; Private Collection; The golden pin is crowned by a Corinthian capital on which a dove is seated. Doves were considered the birds of Aphrodite and were a favorite element of jewelry, especially earrings. The dove of this pin is decorated with filigree wires and glass enamels, and it is possible that there were yet other inlays, now lost. The safety chain is decorated with a carnelian bead. The pin was created during the Hellenistic period, probably the third century B.C., a time when magnificent and luxurious jewelry such as this was in universal vogue.