Geometric and Early Archaic gems: Island gems
From about the mid-7th century for a century a series of seals cut in soft stone (commonly a pale green serpentine) is made in the Greek islands, with a probable centre of manufacture on Melos. They seem inspired by Bronze Age seals found in the islands and they copy the two most popular shapes - lentoid (like a lens) and amygdaloid (like an almond) - and occasionally reflect the older compositions (twisted animals) although not their styles.
White serpentine amygdaloid seal. A stag and two dolphins. Fish are very common subjects in the series.
Oxford 1921.1225; Cat. I, no. 53. 26mm. GGFR pl. 238.
Grey stone lentoid seal. A contorted winged goat. The pose copies that of many Bronze Age seals, where it probably attem animals it is purely decorative.
London no. 203. 15mm. GGFR pl. 242.
Green serpentine amygdaloid seal, from Epidaurus Limera. A flower, the prow of a ship, and a sea-monster (ketos).
New York no. 14. 27mm. GGFR pl. 244.
Green serpentine lentoid seal. The forepart of a bull and tail of a fish.
London 1930.4-16.4. 20.5mm. GGFR pl. 246.
Yellow mottled serpentine lentoid seal. Herakles wrestles with the sea-monster Triton (or Nereus); fish around.
London no. 212. 19mm. GGFR pl. 266.
Green serpentine lentoid seal, from Perachora. Ajax at Troy commits suicide, falling on his sword. His name is inscribed behind him.
New York no. 13. 19mm. GGFR pl. 264.
Chalcedony lentoid seal. A facing head of a satyr. This is a rare example of an Island Gem shape being executed in harder stone, from the end of the series, when new techniques were being employed for scarabs in Greece.
Boston 27.678. 21mm. GGFR pl. 274.