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Necklace with Heracles-Knot Clasp and Lion Head Finials

Culture Greek
Title Necklace with Heracles-Knot Clasp and Lion Head Finials
Date 325–150 BCE
Medium Gold and enamel
Dimensions Weight: 0.09 lb.
Overall: 14 5/16 in. (36.3 cm)
Credit Line Burton Y. Berry Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 70.105.14G

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About this Work

The figure-eight presented here as an elaborate clasp is known as a Heracles knot. The knot takes its name from the manner in which the mythic hero tied his lion-skin cloak about his neck. The cloak brought invincibility to Heracles and, presumably, transferred some of that power to the owner of this necklace. The knot motif was also associated with fertility. This extremely fine example is richly ornamented with volutes, blossoms, and leaves, and is embellished with filigree and glass enamel. Amidst this luxuriant vegetation, Eros reclines, lazily strumming his lyre. His presence, as god of love, further supports the knot’s connection to marriage and fertility.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Necklace with Heracles-Knot Clasp and Lion Head Finials | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=70.105.14G