Bracelet with Bust of Roma
Unknown Artist
400–450
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
Overall: 1 5/8 x 2 3/16 x 2 11/16 x 1 3/4 in. (4.2 x 5.5 x 6.9 x 4.4 cm) Bezel: 1 5/8 x 1/4 in. (4.2 x 0.6 cm) braided wire: 5 11/16 x 3/16 x 5/16 in. (14.5 x 0.5 x 0.8 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Gold
Culture
Byzantine
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.2053
Art Historical Context
This exquisite gold bracelet, crafted around 400–450 CE during the early Byzantine era, features a bezel adorned with the bust of Roma, the ancient personification of Rome. Measuring just over 5 inches in circumference, its delicate construction— including intricately braided wire and a petite bezel—highlights the opulence of Late Antique jewelry. Produced in the Byzantine world, where the Eastern Roman Empire flourished, such pieces were luxury items reserved for the elite, symbolizing wealth, status, and continuity with Rome's imperial legacy. The bust of Roma, a nod to the city's enduring ...