Western Asiatic Matching Pair of Gold and Glass Earrings

£ 485.00

A fine pair of Western Asiatic gold earrings from the ancient region of Bactria. The earrings are comprised of a triangular shaped gold sheet which tapers towards the top to form a loop for wearing. Three finely modelled gold domes are stacked in a vertical row at the top of the triangle and another five are arranged horizontally at the base. Two spherical deep cobalt blue glass beads further embellish these elegant earrings, which display, in their apparent simplicity, the absolute mastery of ancient goldsmiths from this area. The backs are unadorned.

Date: Circa 3rd – 2nd Millennium BC
Condition: Very fine, suitable for modern wear with care.

SOLD

SKU: GL-04 Category: Tag:

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 been enriched with gold granules, glass, semi-precious stone inlays and detailed engravings. Fine granulation, as we can see on this piece, 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 discover more about gemstones in Antiquity, please visit our relevant blog post: The History and Mythology of Jewellery in Antiquity.

Weight 3.98 g
Dimensions L 2.4 x W 1.4 cm
Culture

Metal

Region

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