Pendant

Art Historical Context

This exquisite 12th-century pendant, crafted from sheet gold adorned with intricate filigree, hails from the Islamic world and exemplifies the era's masterful metalworking traditions. Donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art 1951 by Alastair Bradley Martin, it in the Islamic Art department classified as jewelry. Filigree—a delicate technique of twisting and soldering fine gold wires into ornate patterns—allowed artisans to create lightweight yet opulent designs, often suspended from necklaces for personal adornment. In the medieval Islamic context, such pendants held both aesthetic and possi...