GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The pure early classical features of the female heads on these Etruscan earrings relate to far larger works in stone, specifically recalling the Severe style (480 and 450 BCE) sculptures at Olympia. Some of the richness of Archaic ornamentation is still evident in the masses of heavy hair indicated by cross-hatching, in the diadem of hollow globules, and in the minute necklace and rosette earrings worn by the figures. The hollow, curved tube that forms each earring has a beaded ring at the end. Whether the women are maenads or deities, they have a grave nobility and the remote calm of classical art. Like some of the late korai sculptures in the Acropolis Museum in Athens, the figures represent the artistic moment when the more decorative style of Archaic art was giving way to the grand idealizations of the Classical age. This is one of several examples in the museum's jewelry collection that show how Etruscan goldsmiths interpreted Greek motifs to their own taste.
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), 36; 126.
- Anne R. Bromberg, and Karl Kilinski II, Gods, Men, and Heroes: Ancient Art at the Dallas Museum of Art. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996), 113.
- Anne Bromberg, "Pair of tubular earrings with female heads," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Charles Venable (New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press, 1997), 29.
NOTES
READ
- updated provenance and geo x ref. Made previously entered provenance a text entry.
- added Gods Men Heroes description as a text entry in TMS
- added Ancient Gold Jewelry at the DMA description as a text entry in TMS
- cut: Each earring in this pair consists of a curved, hollow tube. One end of the tube is closed with a separately made repoussé female head; the other end is placed into the hollow head through an opening just below the neck. The junction of the looping tube at the back of the head is marked by a circlet of heavy beaded wire. The neck junction is decorated with a circlet of finer beaded wire between plain wire rings. The female head has a severe facial expression and a heavy coiffure, indicated by a crisscross pattern. A diadem composed of large hollow globules, each topped with a spherical bead, and rosette earrings shaped as concave cups holding a granule, were made separately and attached. There is minor damage on both pieces.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
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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
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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 1991.75.29.a-b
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General Description
The pure early classical features of the female heads on these Etruscan earrings relate to far larger works in stone, specifically recalling the Severe style (480 and 450 BCE) sculptures at Olympia. Some of the richness of Archaic ornamentation is still evident in the masses of heavy hair indicated by cross-hatching, in the diadem of hollow globules, and in the minute necklace and rosette earrings worn by the figures. The hollow, curved tube that forms each earring has a beaded ring at the end. Whether the women are maenads or deities, they have a grave nobility and the remote calm of classical art. Like some of the late korai sculptures in the Acropolis Museum in Athens, the figures represent the artistic moment when the more decorative style of Archaic art was giving way to the grand idealizations of the Classical age. This is one of several examples in the museum's jewelry collection that show how Etruscan goldsmiths interpreted Greek motifs to their own taste.
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), 36; 126.
- Anne R. Bromberg, and Karl Kilinski II, Gods, Men, and Heroes: Ancient Art at the Dallas Museum of Art. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996), 113.
- Anne Bromberg, "Pair of tubular earrings with female heads," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Charles Venable (New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press, 1997), 29.
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
READ
- updated provenance and geo x ref. Made previously entered provenance a text entry.
- added Gods Men Heroes description as a text entry in TMS
- added Ancient Gold Jewelry at the DMA description as a text entry in TMS
- cut: Each earring in this pair consists of a curved, hollow tube. One end of the tube is closed with a separately made repoussé female head; the other end is placed into the hollow head through an opening just below the neck. The junction of the looping tube at the back of the head is marked by a circlet of heavy beaded wire. The neck junction is decorated with a circlet of finer beaded wire between plain wire rings. The female head has a severe facial expression and a heavy coiffure, indicated by a crisscross pattern. A diadem composed of large hollow globules, each topped with a spherical bead, and rosette earrings shaped as concave cups holding a granule, were made separately and attached. There is minor damage on both pieces.
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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1991.75.29.a-b
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