Roman 22K+ Gold Domed Earrings (pr)

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A pair of fascinating dome-shaped 91% gold (equivalent to 22 karat) earrings. Each has a lightly ribbed texture made using the repousse technique that calls to mind the graceful forms of Classical columns, with the ribs on top and bottom broadening to meet a narrow, concave band at the center of each earring. An attached gold disc decorated with a ring of delicate granulation highlights the skill of Roman artisans. Long hooks for attachment give an idea of how a Roman woman would have worn these. The women of the Roman Empire donned a wide assortment of jewelry. We know this to be true, because elite Roman women were laid to rest in sarcophagi painted with encaustic funerary portraits that depicted the deceased as youthful beauties dressed in refined clothing and bejeweled in elaborate necklaces and earrings. Size: 0.9" W x 1.2" H (2.3 cm x 3 cm)

While it is possible that these earrings were simply intended to be decorative and abstract in nature, it is also possible that they were intended to represent an actual architectural dome, an innovation made possible by the Roman's invention of concrete. The Romans were excellent engineers and monumental domes created for edifices like the famous Pantheon began to eclipse traditional post and lintel architecture by the 1st century BCE in ancient Rome.

Provenance: private Dere Family Collection, New York City, New York, USA, acquired in the 1980s - 2000s

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#151653
Condition Report: Slight bending to form. Deposits on interior. The hooks would need to be examined by a professional jeweler before they could be worn as ancient gold can be fragile when bent.