{"secondaryobjectnumber":null,"periodterms":[{"id":2036484,"period":"Classical"}],"creditline":"Gift of Frank Jewett Mather Jr.","caption":"Etruscan, Classical Period (ca. 480–323 BCE), Etruria (central Italy), Italy, mid–late 5th century BCE, Scarab depicting a bird. Red jasper; 1.1 x 0.8 cm. Gift of Frank Jewett Mather Jr. (y1940-368)","cultureterms":[{"id":2036714,"culture":"Etruscan"}],"type":"artobject","dimensionsproposed":"","terms":[{"id":2036714,"term":"Etruscan","aatid":300020471,"termtype":"Culture"},{"id":2055411,"term":"scarabs","aatid":300230813,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2048931,"term":"ornament","aatid":300056258,"termtype":"Classification"},{"id":2158039,"term":"birds","aatid":null,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2049393,"term":"gems","aatid":300011172,"termtype":"Classification"},{"id":2036484,"term":"Classical","aatid":300020093,"termtype":"Period / Style"},{"id":2156545,"term":"engraving (incising)","aatid":300053829,"termtype":"Techniques"},{"id":2163011,"term":"jasper","aatid":300011151,"termtype":"Materials"}],"geography":[{"displaygeography":"Place made: Europe, Italy, Etruria (central Italy)","code":"Place made","continent":"Europe","subcontinent":null,"country":"Italy","region":"Etruria (central Italy)","state":null,"city":null,"county":null,"subregion":null,"locale":null,"locus":null,"river":null,"excavation":null,"geoname":null,"location":{"lat":"","lon":""}}],"dimensionelements":[{"element":"Overall","type":"Height","units":"centimeters","dimension":"1.10"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Width","units":"centimeters","dimension":"0.80"}],"markings":null,"accessionyear":"1940-01-01","newaccession":0,"makers":[],"datecomputed":-435,"signed":null,"restrictions":null,"classification":"Gems","packages":[{"packageid":278831,"name":"10282025-DAY1-ONVIEW"},{"packageid":220207,"name":"Gallery_22(Pavilion6)-AncientMed"}],"catalograisonne":null,"classifications":[{"id":2049393,"classification":"gems"},{"id":2048931,"classification":"ornament"}],"exhibitions":[],"cultures":[{"id":13443,"culture":"Etruscan","alphasort":"Etruscan","begindate":0,"enddate":0,"displayculture":"Etruscan","displaydate":null}],"primaryimage":["https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/INV42883"],"displaytitle":"Scarab depicting a bird","displayculture":"Etruscan","displaymaker":null,"captionhtml":"Etruscan, Classical Period (ca. 480–323 BCE), Etruria (central Italy), Italy, mid–late 5th century BCE, Scarab depicting a bird. Red jasper; 1.1 x 0.8 cm. Gift of Frank Jewett Mather Jr. (y1940-368)","displaydate":"mid–late 5th century BCE","medium":"Red jasper","media":[{"id":23538,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/INV42881","isprimary":0,"rank":2,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"Inventory Project"},{"id":23539,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/INV42883","isprimary":1,"rank":1,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"Inventory Project"}],"displayperiod":"Classical Period, ca. 480–323 BCE","extended_content":false,"campuscollections":"false","bibliography":[{"boilertext":"Barbara Ann Forbes, Catalogue of engraved gems in The Art Museum. Dissertation (Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley, 1978).","citation":"Barbara Ann Forbes, Catalogue of engraved gems in The Art Museum. Dissertation (Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley, 1978)., p. 189-190; pl. 43:166","date":1978,"id":2218,"uri":"https://search.worldcat.org/title/14122267"}],"nowebuse":"False","periods":[{"id":14500,"period":"Classical Period","alphasort":"Classical Period","begindate":-480,"enddate":-323,"displayperiod":"Classical Period, ca. 480–323 BCE","displaydate":"ca. 480–323 BCE"}],"department":"Ancient, Byzantine, and Islamic Art","attribute_groups":[{"id":2199316,"term":"Ancient Mediterranean Art","termtype":"Collecting Area"}],"daterange":"1000 B.C.-A.D 1","dateend":-401,"depicted":[],"titles":[{"title":"Scarab depicting a bird","titletype":"Primary Title","displayorder":1}],"hasimage":"true","creditlinerepro":null,"objectnumber":"y1940-368","inscribed":null,"texts":[{"texttype":"Online","textpurpose":"Gallery Label","textentryhtml":"

\n\tThese objects had three main functions for the Etruscans: to act as a signature when used as a seal, to protect the wearer, and to decorate one’s body. The ancient practice of engraving gems began in Mesopotamia around 5000 BCE and spread throughout the Mediterranean, often within broader networks of cultural and artistic exchange. Engraved gems became popular on the Italian peninsula during a period of increased contact between Etruria and Greece in which Etruscan artists adopted techniques, forms, and subjects employed by their Greek counterparts. One of the most common types seen in the Etruscan context is the scarab, which ultimately derived from Egyptian art. In Etruria, however, it was then adorned with typically Greek scenes of myth or nature. Etruscan artisans also developed their own techniques, preferred subjects, and decorative styles. For instance, many Etruscan gems are identifiable by a rope-like border created by overlapping spherical shapes.\n

","remarks":"MED_22_ADJ-2_CLA-Day 1 Cataloguing (group chat for y1940-383, y1940-371, y1940-368, y1969-55, y1969-54, y1940-386) "},{"texttype":"Online","textpurpose":"Provenance","textentryhtml":"Given to the Museum in 1940 by Frank Jewett Mather Jr.","remarks":null}],"datebegin":-469,"sortnumber":"1940 368y","published_date":"2026-02-11 09:38:03.462893","objectid":21653,"dimensions":"1.1 x 0.8 cm (7/16 x 5/16 in.)","on_view":true}