Gold Half Moon-Shaped Earring with Peacocks
Opus interrasile was a technique used by goldsmiths to make elegant jewelry from the 200s through the 600s. Designs were traced onto sheets of gold; the background was punched with holes of various sizes to highlight the pattern; and fine details were then worked on the surface. The patterns formed by piercing the metal ground encouraged the play of light and shadow across an object's surface.
Artwork Details
- Title: Gold Half Moon-Shaped Earring with Peacocks
- Date: late 6th–7th century
- Culture: Byzantine
- Medium: Gold
- Dimensions: Overall: 2 3/16 x 1 15/16 x 1/8 in. (5.5 x 4.9 x 0.3 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork-Gold
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1938
- Object Number: 38.171.1
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters
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Byzantine
ca. 583, reassembled after discovery
Byzantine
629–630
Byzantine
629–630
Byzantine
629–630
Byzantine
629–630
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