Daedalic Pendant with Potnia Theron (Mistress of the Animals)

650–600 BCE
Overall: 3 x 2 cm (1 3/16 x 13/16 in.)
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location: 102B Greek

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

Potnia Theron, a term first used by the Epic poet Homer, is applied to female divinities associated with animals.

Description

The pendant received in 2001 (2001.157) was originally from the same necklace as the identical pendant acquired by the museum in 1999 (1999.88). Both are exceptionally well preserved and depict the winged goddess Artemis, frontally posed and flanked by two lions. Each lion stands obediently on its hind legs, one forepaw placed symmetrically near the goddess's waist, head turned back. In Homer's Iliad, Artemis is called potnia theron, which means "mistress of the animals," a reference that may be applied to this image of the goddess. On the pendants, her image was created in a sheet of gold by burnishing it over a wooden, ceramic, or stone form. Alternating cloisons of green and blue glass enamel within an undulating gold wire frame the goddess and represent the earliest use of this substance yet known in Greek gold jewelry. The small loops at the bottom of the pendants probably held chains attached to pomegranate-shaped beads.
Daedalic Pendant with Potnia Theron (Mistress of the Animals)

Daedalic Pendant with Potnia Theron (Mistress of the Animals)

650–600 BCE

Eastern Greece, Rhodian

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.