Nose Ring
Unknown Artist
probably 19th century
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
Ht. 13/16 in. (2 cm) W. 9/16 in. (1.5 cm) D. 1/8 in. (0.3 cm)
Classification
Jewelry
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Meredith Howland, 1904
Accession Number
04.34.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic collection, this delicate gold nose ring, likely crafted in the 19th, exemplifies the exquisite jewelry traditions of the Islamic world. Measuring just 13/16 inch high, 9/16 inch wide, and 1/8 inch deep, its petite scale highlights the jeweler's mastery in working with precious metal on a miniature canvas. Gold, prized for its durability, luster, and symbolic purity across Islamic cultures, was often reserved for adornments that signified beauty, status, and prosperity. Nose rings held deep cultural resonance in regions spanning the Middle E...