19th C. European 18 kt Gold Etruscan Revival Granulated Ram’s Head Bangle Bracelet
$19,000
Attributed to Pasquale Novissimo for Carlo Giuliano, London, circa 1875
The Ram’s Head is represented throughout history and in the decorative arts with varying symbolic references. In ancient Egypt, the ram represented the god, Ammon, who was among the most important deities throughout the reigns of the various Egyptian pharaohs and queens. Ammon, like Zeus in ancient Greek folklore, signified the forces of nature, the sky, and heavens.
In Celtic tradition, the rams head, too, was an important symbol of prosperity. In the broadest sense, among the characteristics and traits that these gods and their imagery reflect are power, force, drive, energy, protection, fearlessness, and perfectionism.
Specific to the matter of the ram in Etruscan revival jewelry, its representation is usually central to or at the terminus of a piece, such as on either end of a wraparound bangle bracelet. Loosely interpreted, we can conclude that its presence signified an eternal force of life and the hereafter, in nature and in the spiritual and supernatural world.
