Earring
Unknown Artist
1200s
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
6.4 × 3.7 cm
Classification
Jewelry
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1984.63.1
About this artwork
This earring is in the form of naga, or water serpent, one of the most popular decorative motifs in Cambodian art. While bronze objects such as furniture and palanquin fittings and finials, hooks, rings, etc., were among the most typical items of the classical Angkorean art (12th–13th century), jewelry is very rare. Originally, it must have been gilt. It is conceivable that this earring may not have been used as a regular ear ornament but enhanced a Khmer sculpture, a common practice, which woul...