Rare Phoenician fayence fish

Period
Classical period, 4th century B.C.
Dimension
H. 8.6 cm (3 25⁄64 in) W. 8.5 cm (3 11⁄32 in)

Art market, Switzerland, 24 April 1985
Private collection, Switzerland, from the above

ArtPassion 9/07, 61
Le verre antique. Dans l’intimité des collectionneurs

Lilybée. Entre Carthage et Rome en Sicile – Merveille du verre punique, exhibition from 4 - 28 octobre 2016, University of Geneva

A truly exceptional piece in the form of a butterfly fish. With a bright blueish-green and patterned disk-shaped body, with details in black and the eye formed by a black dot, its mouth in an upturned pout

Note
Butterfly fish are relative small, ranging from 12 to 22 cm in length. They are found in the reefs of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are often brightly coloured, with orange, yellow, white, blue and black being the most common. The Hooded Butterfly fish has been found in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the southeast Mediterranean.

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