Why is this imitation gallstone held in such an extravagant case?

"Works of art aren't what they seem always."

Curator Maryam Ekhtiar on a Goa stone enclosed in an ornate gold case.

Explore this object:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/454738

Throughout 2013, The Met invited curators from across the Museum to each talk about one artwork that changed the way they see the world. Each episode is interpreted by a Museum photographer.

Photography by Eileen Travell

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