GENERAL DESCRIPTION
A baule or a bauletto means "little bag," and this Etruscan earring type earned its Italian name from its resemblance to a valise. An Etruscan design of the 6th century BCE, the basic form consists of a broad strip of gold bent into three-quarters of a cylinder. The two ends of the strip are joined by a wire or narrow band, which attached the cylinder to the ear. This wire is usually masked from the front by a decorative extension. The surfaces of the cylinder that were visible when the earring was worn are elaborately decorated. The hidden side is usually left plain or is less carefully decorated. These differences make it clear whether an earring was meant to be worn on the right ear or the left.
Adapted from
Barbara Deppert-Lippitz, Ancient Gold Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art in association with the University of Washington Press, 1996), 35; 124.
NOTES
- updated provenance and geo x refs
- added publication as a text entry
- cut: Each piece of this pair consists of a partially cylindrical body with a semicircular extension attached to the top of the opening. The opening of the earring is spanned by a hinged gold hook; the hinge pin is made of silver. The round disk that closes one side of each cylinder is decorated with a complicated rosette. The outer row of petals, formed by oval openings and granulated lines, surrounds a multipetaled rosette made separately from sheet gold. A filigree coil encircles a large, completely granulated globule. The frame of decorative wires matches the design of the narrow border around the open, opposite side of the cylinder.
- Each earring's extension is decorated with little rings made of twisted wire, hollow bosses, and decorative wires, all arranged in semicircular zones around a small inner field covered with granulation. A "quiet" zone consists of a plain, hollow rod framed by lines of twisted wire. Above and below are rows of hollow globules, each one supporting a single granule. The outermost border is marked by a strip of flat wire bent into a tightly arranged, undulating, high-relief ribbon pattern. All the registers are separated by decorative wire.
- The central decoration on the front of each earring is a rectangular filigree frame holding a stylized repoussé rosette. The rosette's slightly concave center holds a wire coil that supports a large granulated globule. This central ornament is flanked by floral elements made of hollow cups, each containing a large globule. Elaborate rosettes in the corners each support a coiled wire encircling a large globule. Two strips of gold, with a simple kymation pattern rendered in repoussé, form the border between the cylinder field and the extension. The backs of the earrings are ornamented with three rows of half-globules with tiny granules. These rows are framed with fine twisted wires. The cylinders are lined with plain sheet gold.
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PROVENANCE
Until 1991: probably Collection of Dr. Athos Moretti, Switzerland (presented by Robert Haber, New York) [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
[1] based on existing provenance entry in TMS
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FUN FACTS
- Jewelry was far more than merely ornament to the Etruscans; it was often close to being a magic charm or amulet and implied the protection of the gods.
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Apply to objects where number equals 1991.75.11.a-b
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General Description
A baule or a bauletto means "little bag," and this Etruscan earring type earned its Italian name from its resemblance to a valise. An Etruscan design of the 6th century BCE, the basic form consists of a broad strip of gold bent into three-quarters of a cylinder. The two ends of the strip are joined by a wire or narrow band, which attached the cylinder to the ear. This wire is usually masked from the front by a decorative extension. The surfaces of the cylinder that were visible when the earring was worn are elaborately decorated. The hidden side is usually left plain or is less carefully decorated. These differences make it clear whether an earring was meant to be worn on the right ear or the left.
Adapted from
Barbara Deppert-Lippitz, Ancient Gold Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art in association with the University of Washington Press, 1996), 35; 124.
Fun Facts
- Jewelry was far more than merely ornament to the Etruscans; it was often close to being a magic charm or amulet and implied the protection of the gods.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
- updated provenance and geo x refs
- added publication as a text entry
- cut: Each piece of this pair consists of a partially cylindrical body with a semicircular extension attached to the top of the opening. The opening of the earring is spanned by a hinged gold hook; the hinge pin is made of silver. The round disk that closes one side of each cylinder is decorated with a complicated rosette. The outer row of petals, formed by oval openings and granulated lines, surrounds a multipetaled rosette made separately from sheet gold. A filigree coil encircles a large, completely granulated globule. The frame of decorative wires matches the design of the narrow border around the open, opposite side of the cylinder.
- Each earring's extension is decorated with little rings made of twisted wire, hollow bosses, and decorative wires, all arranged in semicircular zones around a small inner field covered with granulation. A "quiet" zone consists of a plain, hollow rod framed by lines of twisted wire. Above and below are rows of hollow globules, each one supporting a single granule. The outermost border is marked by a strip of flat wire bent into a tightly arranged, undulating, high-relief ribbon pattern. All the registers are separated by decorative wire.
- The central decoration on the front of each earring is a rectangular filigree frame holding a stylized repoussé rosette. The rosette's slightly concave center holds a wire coil that supports a large granulated globule. This central ornament is flanked by floral elements made of hollow cups, each containing a large globule. Elaborate rosettes in the corners each support a coiled wire encircling a large globule. Two strips of gold, with a simple kymation pattern rendered in repoussé, form the border between the cylinder field and the extension. The backs of the earrings are ornamented with three rows of half-globules with tiny granules. These rows are framed with fine twisted wires. The cylinders are lined with plain sheet gold.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1991: probably Collection of Dr. Athos Moretti, Switzerland (presented by Robert Haber, New York) [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
[1] based on existing provenance entry in TMS
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