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 this necklace.
Date
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L. 35.6 cm (14 in.) (with clasp); pendant: h. 3.1 cm (1 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
Reference Number
1894.266
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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), pp. 10, 23 (cat. 21), pl. II.
Nicola Barham, “Cat. 164 Necklace with Pendant: Curatorial Entry,” in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016).
Art Institute of Chicago, Ancient Art Galleries, Gallery 156A, 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.
The Art Institute of Chicago, acquired in Egpyt, 1894; price reimbursed by Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, Robert H. Fleming, and Norman W. Harris.
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