Earring
Unknown Artist
7th century
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
Overall: 1 3/16 x 1 1/8 x 1/4 in. (3 x 2.8 x 0.6 cm) 3/8 x 1/4 in. (0.9 x 0.6 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Copper alloy
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.193.57
Art Historical Context
This delicate copper alloy earring, crafted by an unknown Frankish artisan in the 7th, offers a glimpse into the everyday elegance of early medieval Europe. Measuring just 1 3/16 x 1 1/8 x 1/4 inches overall, its petite scale belies the skill involved in shaping the metal into a functional yet ornamental piece, likely worn as a single stud or paired for symmetry. Hailing from the Merovingian Frankish culture—named after the powerful Merovingian dynasty that ruled much of Gaul (modern France and Germany)—this earring reflects a time of transition from late antiquity to the Middle Ages. Frankis...