Greek, Roman, and Etruscan Jewelry
Andrew Oliver1966, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin
Modern jewelry is prized for its pearls and precious stones-for the fine cutting of the stones and for their elaborate setting. This was not the case in antiquity, when diamonds and rubies were virtually unknown, and when emeralds and sapphires were extremely rare. The pearls and the precious and semiprecious stones that were sparingly used in Hellenistic and Roman jewelry were usually left rough, or if cut, cut cabochon, that is, in a smooth rounded form. Ancient jewelry was treasured for its gold, and, to a much lesser extent, its silver. Gold had been valued since remote antiquity on account of its rarity and incorruptibility. The survival of Greek and Roman gold coins and gold jewelry, as well as the reports of gold vessels and statues once deposited in ancient treasuries but now lost, reveal the value placed on this metal and the special uses to which it was put. Silver, on the other hand, though far more common than gold, corrodes. The vast numbers of ancient silver coins and vessels that we have today owe their survival to their relatively substantial form. Delicate jewelry of that metal cannot be expected to have survived in quantity, and, indeed, little has. The real reason, however, may be that little was made. Tarnishing, it would soon become unsightly. And when in contact with skin for repeated periods, silver can cause infection. The ancients surely discovered, for instance, that silver earrings were not suitable for pierced ears. The Metropolitan Museum possesses a rich collection of ancient jewelry. To illustrate the taste of various periods, a small selection will be discussed here. A few have been illustrated elsewhere, but are included because they represent periods not otherwise covered. This is not intended to be a survey of the history of ancient jewelry, but is meant rather to show, with some small trifling objects, and some true masterpieces, the range and varying aspects of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman jewelry. The earliest object to be shown (Figure I) iS a Mycenaean gold pendant in the form of two rampant lions, pictured here twice actual size. It is made in two halves, stamped in the same mold, that form the front and back, so that the lions are fully modeled on both sides. The subject brings to mind the monumental scuipture of the two heraldic lions over the gate of the citadel at Mycenae, on which two lions place their forepaws s. Gold pendant in the form of two rampant lions. Mycenaean, ISOO-I200 B.C. Height 1X6 inch. Bequest of Richard B. Seager, 26.3I.426
