Neck Ring
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.[The Celts] amass a great amount of gold, which is used for ornament not only by the women but also by the men. . . . A striking practice is found among the Celts, in connection with the sacred precincts of the gods; for in the temples and precincts made consecrate in their land a great amount of gold has been deposited as a dedication to the gods, and not a native of the country ever touches it.
— Diodorus of Sicily, a Greek historian writing about 20 b.c.
These two neck rings and the set of nine coins minted by a local Celtic tribe known as the Nervii were part of an assemblage of gold objects placed in a pot near a spring in Belgium, probably about 50 b.c. It seems likely that they were gathered as a ritual offering of treasured objects, with the neck rings never intended to be worn by a living person.
— Diodorus of Sicily, a Greek historian writing about 20 b.c.
These two neck rings and the set of nine coins minted by a local Celtic tribe known as the Nervii were part of an assemblage of gold objects placed in a pot near a spring in Belgium, probably about 50 b.c. It seems likely that they were gathered as a ritual offering of treasured objects, with the neck rings never intended to be worn by a living person.
Artwork Details
- Title: Neck Ring
- Date: 1st century BCE
- Geography: Made in Northern Gaul
- Culture: Celtic
- Medium: Gold, iron core, bees wax
- Dimensions: Overall: 7 13/16 x 7 1/2 x 2 1/16 in. (19.9 x 19 x 5.2 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork-Gold
- Credit Line: Anonymous Loan
- Object Number: L.53.43.1
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters