Bidspirit auction | A GREEK AGATE SCARAB GEM

A GREEK AGATE SCARAB GEM ENGRAVED WITH A SEA SHELL, POSSIBLY CIRCA 5TH–4TH CENTURY BC. - A finely carved Greek agate scarab gem, dating to the 5th–4th century BC, engraved with a stylised sea shell in intaglio. The shell is depicted with elegantly radiating ribs rising from a narrow base, executed with the clean, balanced symmetry characteristic of Classical Greek glyptic art. The reverse is smoothly domed and polished in the traditional scarab form, with a longitudinal perforation allowing the gem to be worn as a pendant or mounted in a ring. Marine motifs such as shells were favoured subjects in Greek gem engraving, reflecting the importance of the sea in the ancient Mediterranean while also serving as attractive personal seal devices.