Pair of Earrings

1st century

Roman; probably Egypt

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.

Status: On View, Gallery 152
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Roman
Title: Pair of Earrings
Place: Roman Empire (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1 CE–100 CE
Medium: Gold and glass
Dimensions: Gold balls: Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.); H.: 4.5 cm (1 5/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson
Reference Number: 1892.24a-b
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/593/manifest.json

Thomas George Allen, A Handbook of the Egyptian Collection (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1923), p. 112.
Louise Berge and Karen Alexander. “Ancient Gold Work and Jewelry from Chicago Collections.” The Ancient World Vol. 11, nos. 1 and 2 (1985), p. 15.
Karen B. Alexander and Mary Greuel. Private Taste in Ancient Rome: Selections from Chicago Collections. Exh. cat. (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1990), cat. 47.
Nicola Barham, “Cat. 160 Pair of Earrings: Curatorial Entry,” in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016).

Art Institute of Chicago, Ancient Art Galleries, Gallery 156, April 20, 1994 - February 6, 2012.
Art Institute of Chicago, Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art, Gallery 152, November 11, 2012 - present.

Émile Brugsch (1842-1930), Bulaq Museum and Egyptian Antiquities Service, Cairo; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1892; price reimbursed by Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson, 1892.

Cat. 160 Pair of Earrings, 1st century A.D.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.