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.
The cylinder of each earring in this pair is closed on one of its sides with à jour, or openwork, decoration of granulated triangles along the outer edge. The cylinder is crowned by a tree and floral scrolls made of wire and gold globules, flnaked by the tiny reliefs of two heraldic lions. The front is decorated with hollow bosses and nearly square rosettes rendered in repoussé, their stamens and outlines covered with granulation. Additional multipetaled rosetttes have either a large granulated globule or a coiled-wire circlet topped with a granule in the center. Embossed vertical lines decorate the back. The suspension hook its hinge, and silver pin, are still extant.
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
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
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Historical periods
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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
AUDIO ASSETS
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WEB RESOURCES
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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 1991.75.16.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.
The cylinder of each earring in this pair is closed on one of its sides with à jour, or openwork, decoration of granulated triangles along the outer edge. The cylinder is crowned by a tree and floral scrolls made of wire and gold globules, flnaked by the tiny reliefs of two heraldic lions. The front is decorated with hollow bosses and nearly square rosettes rendered in repoussé, their stamens and outlines covered with granulation. Additional multipetaled rosetttes have either a large granulated globule or a coiled-wire circlet topped with a granule in the center. Embossed vertical lines decorate the back. The suspension hook its hinge, and silver pin, are still extant.
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
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
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
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1991.75.16.a-b
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object_notes_2_b-0081.xml.nores