Near Eastern Gold Earring with Granules

£ 595.00

A fine gold Near Eastern earring, from Ancient Bactria. The earring takes a triangular form, composed of granulated rows – each row is one granule longer than the row above. Two round bezels with turquoise insets enrich the top of the triangle. A long suspension ‘s’ shape loop extends from the top of the earring ending in a rounded terminal.

 

Date: Circa 1st Millennium BC
Condition: Very fine condition, signs of repair.

In stock

SKU: LD-494 Category: Tags: , ,

Many grand civilizations inhabited the area of Western Asia in Antiquity, and their wealth and prosperity is witnessed by the very sophisticated precious metal crafting of jewellery. Gold would have been hammered down to a thin layer and manipulated into different shapes. Gold, electrum and silver jewellery would have featured gold granules, glass and semi-precious stone inlays and detailed engravings. Fine granulation, as we can see on this item, along with filigree, were at the centre of Near Eastern and Western Asiatic jewellery production and were later adopted by the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans.

To find out more about different metal decorative techniques please see our relevant blog post: Decorative Metalwork Techniques

Weight 5.52 g
Dimensions W 1.8 x H 2.6 cm
Culture

Metal

Semi-Precious Stones

Region

Reference: For a similar item,Christies, New York, 13th December 2013, Lot 228

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