Serpentine Triangular Prism
Unknown Artist
ca. 1800–1600 BCE
Medium
Serpentine
Dimensions
Other: 7/16 in. (1.2 cm)
Classification
Gems
Culture & Period
Minoan · Middle Minoan II
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Richard B. Seager, 1926
Accession Number
26.31.175
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Serpentine Triangular* is a tiny gem from the Minoan of Crete, dating to the Middle Minoan II (ca. 1800–1600 BCE). Measuring just 7/16 inch (1.2 cm), it exemplifies the masterful craftsmanship of Bronze Age artisans who created intricate seals and amulets for administrative, ritual, or decorative purposes. Minoan culture, flourishing on Crete before the rise of Mycenaean Greece, is renowned for its vibrant palaces like Knossos and sophisticated society, where such objects played key roles in trade, bureaucracy, and symbolism. Carved from serpentine—a smooth, green metamorphic ...