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Earring

Description

This glass earring is half of a pair (with 1894.23) that an Ancient Egyptian craftsman made by first softening blue glass with heat and bending it around a rod. They then fused a twisted cane of white-and-black glass to the main body of the earring. A wire strung through the top would have allowed the wearer to hang this earring from their pierced ear. This particular style was popular during the New Kingdom (about 1550–1069 BCE), when Egyptian men, women, and children of all social classes wore earrings made from glass, precious metals, or stone.

Provenance

Reverend Chauncey Murch (1859-1907), Luxor, Egypt; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1894; price reimbursed by Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson, 1894.

Dimensions

2.7 × 2.5 × 0.5 cm (1 1/16 × 1 × 3/16 in.)

Movement / Period

new kingdom

Accession No

841

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Egyptian

new kingdom • Egypt • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Earring by Egyptian (New Kingdom, mid- to late Dynasty 18, about 1400–1295 BCE) | PublicArk | PublicArk