Pair of Earrings
1st century
Medium
Gold and glass
Dimensions
Gold balls: Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.); H.: 4.5 cm (1 5/16 in.)
Classification
ear ornament
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
593
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
For both men and women in the Roman world, jewelry functioned as a visible sign of wealth, social standing, and gender. Artists of the time created some works in accord with earlier Hellenistic and Etruscan preferences for the extravagant and conspicuous use of gold. Over time, imperial expansion increased Romans’ access to a variety of valuable materials, leading to a distinctly Roman taste for jewelry incorporating color—typically in the form of gemstones or glass, as seen in these earrings.
About the Artist
Ancient Roman
The artists attributed to "Ancient Roman" in museum collections represent the anonymous craftsmen who produced the vast output of sculpture, frescoes, mosaics, and reliefs defining Roman visual culture from the Republic (c. 509–27 BCE) to the late Empire (c. 395 CE). Individual identities remain elusive, as Roman makers were typically viewed as skilled tradesmen—often enslaved Greeks or provincial...