1991.75.20, Single ear stud with glass inlay, Etruria, 6th century B.C.E., gold, glass

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Although ear studs were apparently less common than a bauletto earrings [1991.75.13.a-b], pictorial representations indicate that they were popular in Etruria during the 6th century BCE. Actual examples, however, are as rare as they are in Greece, where the type seems to have originated, as evidenced by their frequent representation on statues, in vase painting, and on coins. Ear studs consist of a disk, varying in diameter from two to six centimeters, with a hollow tube - usually of silver - projecting from the back. A corresponding rear piece has a narrower tube that fits into the one on the frontal disk.

This stud is an unusual example, consisting of a gold frame of stylized snakes around a central glass disk. Although the use of glass in Etruscan jewelry is extremely rare, the piece is not the only one in the collection to incorporate a glass element (1991.75.21). Here a plain white glass disk is mounted in a gold setting and held by a serrated border. The decorative frame attached to this setting is embossed in a fringelike border of writhing snakes. A central hole, surrounded by a gold wire coiled in a spiral, holds a tube that joins the front of the ear stud to a silver supporting disk. The composition recalls the aegis of the goddess Athena, a breastplate fringed with writhing snakes. The glass is broken; otherwise the stud is in very good condition.

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), 37; 125.

NOTES

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updated geo x ref and provenance
publication added as a text entry

Catalogue essays

Etruscan Jewelry

Etruscan Jewelry: Archaic style

Ancient Gold Jewelry: The Spread of Imagery

Gold in the Ancient Mediterranean

Etruscan Gold

Artist/designers

Cultures

The Etruscans

Geography

Process/materials

Granulation

Sheet Metal

Repoussé

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

"a pulviscolo"

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

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

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.

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES

Apply to objects where number equals 1991.75.20

General Description

Although ear studs were apparently less common than a bauletto earrings [1991.75.13.a-b], pictorial representations indicate that they were popular in Etruria during the 6th century BCE. Actual examples, however, are as rare as they are in Greece, where the type seems to have originated, as evidenced by their frequent representation on statues, in vase painting, and on coins. Ear studs consist of a disk, varying in diameter from two to six centimeters, with a hollow tube - usually of silver - projecting from the back. A corresponding rear piece has a narrower tube that fits into the one on the frontal disk.

This stud is an unusual example, consisting of a gold frame of stylized snakes around a central glass disk. Although the use of glass in Etruscan jewelry is extremely rare, the piece is not the only one in the collection to incorporate a glass element (1991.75.21). Here a plain white glass disk is mounted in a gold setting and held by a serrated border. The decorative frame attached to this setting is embossed in a fringelike border of writhing snakes. A central hole, surrounded by a gold wire coiled in a spiral, holds a tube that joins the front of the ear stud to a silver supporting disk. The composition recalls the aegis of the goddess Athena, a breastplate fringed with writhing snakes. The glass is broken; otherwise the stud is in very good condition.

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), 37; 125.

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

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