Goblet with Golden Fleece Design
Artist
Anthony Elson (British, b. 1935)
Date
1976Medium
gilt sterling silverDimensions
: 5 3/4 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 in. (14.61 x 8.1 x 8.1 cm)Credit Line
Gift of David Kamansky and Gerald WheatonObject Number
2016.57.27.1
Label
The golden fleece was the gold-colored woolen coat of a sacred ram named Chrysomallos that was sacrificed to Zeus by King Aeëtes of Colchis. Aeëtes kept the golden fleece in his palace as a symbol of his royal power and favor with the Olympian gods. The fleece was later stolen by the hero Jason and his crew of Argonauts, who used it to support Jason’s own claim to the throne of the kingdom of Iolcus. This set of six goblets combines the cultural cachet of the golden fleece myth with a very contemporary abstract design. The goblets were created by Anthony Elson, one of modern Britain’s leading silversmiths.
