Comb
Solokaha Barrow, 4th century BC
In composition this comb, which was found during the excavations of Solokha Barrow, recalls the facade of a Greek temple with a colonnade made up of its 12 teeth, a triangular fronton with three battling warriors, and a frieze of five reclining lions. The details, either cast from a wax model or wrought, were first carefully worked up on both sides and then soldered together. The simplified relief figures are executed in a realistic manner, their movements natural, although they are subordinate to a symmetrical overall scheme. In style and quality of execution the comb is clearly the work of a skilled Greek master, one working for a Scythian client and who was well acquainted with the barbarian world, including details of clothing, hairstyles and weaponry amongst the Scythians, Greeks and Thracians.
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