Earring
Unknown Artist
7th century
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Overall: 1 5/16 x 1 1/16 x 3/16 in. (3.4 x 2.7 x 0.4 cm) bead: 3/16 x 3/16 in. (0.5 x 0.4 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.193.43
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silver earring, crafted by an unknown Frankish artisan in the 7th, exemplifies the delicate metalwork of early medieval Europe. Measuring just 1 5/ x 1 1/16 x 3/16 inches overall, with a tiny bead of 3/16 x 3/16 inches, it was likely worn as a single pendant-style ornament, hooked through the ear. Its petite scale highlights the precision of Frankish silversmiths, who shaped the metal through hammering, soldering, and possibly granulation to create intricate, lightweight jewelry. Originating from the Frankish culture—associated with the Merovingian dynasty that ruled much of Ga...