The Athenian Owl

Product price:	90,00 €
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This silver brooch is inspired by an iconic ancient Greek coin: the Athenian tetradrachm. Athenian coinage owes the introduction of major initiatives and reforms to the figure of Solon, including the establishment of metrological and weight standards that set the drachma (or “drachm”) to a stable standard weight of 4.36 grams. One-sixth of a drachma, weighing 0.72 g, was known as an obol, while its double and quadruple multiples were called the didrachm (8.72 g) and tetradrachm (17.44 g), respectively. These coins featured a variety of symbols on their obverse, inspired by the coats of arms of noble Athenian families and the cultural imagery of the era: depicted are amphorae, wheels, bull protomes, gorgons, and much more, including the famous owl—so iconic that it still appears today on the 1-Euro coin issued by modern Greece.

The owl tetradrachm, in its various iterations, was minted starting in the 6th century BC and became the most widely recognized Greek coin in the ancient world, as well as one of the most popular archaeological coins in our contemporary imagination, even among non-experts.

The obverse featured the helmeted head of Athena, while the reverse showcased one of the goddess’s favorite animals: the owl itself. Rendered in profile with its head facing front, the owl is flanked by the inscription “Athe” in Greek lettering, an abbreviation for Athenaion, meaning “of the Athenians.” The figure is completed by an olive sprig in the upper left corner and is enclosed in a square incuse square that was impressed onto the hot metal blanks by the malliator, the artisan who struck the hammer die onto the anvil die. Given the heavy weight of the tools and the tiny size of the metal blanks, achieving perfect centering was difficult. Thus, it is entirely normal for ancient coins to feature off-center imagery, leaving portions of the coin blank.

This effect has been beautifully captured by Nymphè, who chose to faithfully reproduce this detail in the brooch. The border enclosing the owl is shifted to the left along with the amaranth-red field, leaving a silver “slice” on the right side of the brooch. The details are remarkably fine, serving as a reminder of the skill required to work metal and craft small, finely made objects.

This piece of jewelry is crafted from Italian 925 rhodium-plated sterling silver.

Hand-drawn design of the coin’s obverse, based on published images of an original specimen. The silver sheet used in the crafting process is 1 mm thick and made of Italian 925 sterling silver. The computer-reworked design was laser-engraved onto the laser-cut sheet. Furthermore, the background was laser-etched and subsequently hand-enameled after yellow gold plating. Six artisans contributed to the entire production process: the designer, the chaser/hammerer, the laser operator, the gilder, and the enameler. Afterwards, the pendant was attached through a drilled hole and jump ring to a gold-plated silver rolo chain, also made in Italy.