Among the animal motifs used for jewellery during the New Kingdom is the fish, especially in the form of pendants on gold chains, as in this model. These tilapia, fish with their beneficial virtues, are the guarantee of a constantly renewed life. This notion may have been at the origin of the ichthus, the fish symbol used by the Early Christians. It is impossible not to admire the virtuosity of the artist who rendered the fish scales and fins in such minute detail on slim leaves of gold. Despite its small size, this object illustrates the technical perfection achieved by the goldsmiths of the
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