Preview
Creation Date
10th-12th centuries
Geography
Britain, Colchester?
Culture
Byzantine
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
1 × 1 × 3/16 in (2.54 × 2.54 × 0.48 cm)
Credit Line
Long-term Loan from the Estate of Boris Blick, 2015
Accession Number
2015.164.37
Provenance
2015: Donated by Sarah Blick to Kenyon College.
Mid-1990’s to 2005: Purchased by Boris Blick from a small antique mall in Akron in a large group of artifacts for $185. Labeled as a collection of “Celtic-Roman-Saxon Artifacts” by the shop owner.
1972: Purchased by the Akron antique shop from a Colchester antique shop owner who claimed they purchased the group of objects from "local diggers".
Description
This earring is made of bronze and is in the form of a crescent. The front is decorated with a line of figure eight shapes, and the back is unadorned. In its original state, we know that the earring would have had a wire attached to the two points of the crescent shape, as indicated by the presence of the small hoop on the left end. This wire is what would be used to attach the earring to the ear lobe. More of this missing wire would have also surrounded the edges of the earring, strung with beads, or possibly gems, through the small tubes attached along the earring’s curved exterior edge. A drawing of this reconstructed earring can be found in the additional files of this entry.
Due to the presence of debris packed into the loopholes and the appearance of a collapsed plate on the back of the earring, I theorize that the current solidity of the piece is due to compact debris, and would have been hollow in its original state, perhaps having a similar function to the popular basket type earring of the period (an example at the Met can be found here). When I compared the weight of the earring to solid, similarly sized, bronze objects in the collection — such as The Roman Clothing Stud (2015.167.8) — we noticed the earring weighed significantly less. However, despite their similar size, the stud weighs significantly more at 20.2 grams versus the earring’s 7.0 grams. This would suggest that the earring’s core was originally hollow, is now packed with debris, and is not solid bronze.
This specific earring in the Blick-Harris Study Collection, while incomplete, provides a window into the past by embodying class and cultural mixing within the Byzantine Empire during the tenth through twelfth centuries. Crescent-shaped earrings were extremely popular in Byzantine jewelry, and pieces have been found across the empire (Stolz 2010: 33). Like many “basket” type earrings of this time, it may have been hollow, allowing for a fragranced cloth to be placed inside (Makris 2023). Its material, bronze, would have been more accessible to those of lower class, acting as an imitation of more valuable gold jewelry worn by high-status nobility or royalty (Albani 2010: 193). It is theorized that these styles, like the crescent shape, were inspired by imperial jewelry made in the empire’s capital, Constantinople (Stolz 2010: 33). This is supported by the mosaics at San Vitale in Ravenna, which depict Empress Theodora wearing gold, crescent-shaped earrings (Stoltz 2010: 36). Stolz suggests that styles were being inspired from one or several leading workshops, whose styles and motifs were being copied elsewhere (Stolz 2010: 33). These styles, symbols, and motifs may have spread by traveling craftsmen through the use of models or pattern books (Stoltz 2010: 37). Therefore, pieces were being created, inspired by imperial styles, and imitated in cheaper materials like bronze for the lower class market (Stolz 2010: 33). According to our records, this earring was presumably found in Britain, potentially near Colchester, suggesting that these styles spread to the area and were being produced there. Based on our investigation of comparative pieces in the collections at the British Museum, The Met, and the Cleveland Museum of Art, it may be suggested that this earring dates to the tenth to twelfth centuries.
In addition to serving as objects of personal adornment, Byzantine jewelry was provided with imagery and symbols designed to bring prosperity to, and offer protection for, the wearer, serving a dual purpose by catering to the seen and unseen worlds (Dauterman Maguire et al. 1989: 2). As seen on our earring, it is decorated with figure eight or infinity symbols. This could potentially be drawn from the ouroboros symbol, or a snake consuming its own tail which represents the repetitive cycle of destruction and rebirth. Another possibility is the Rayed Serpent symbol, typically associated with good health, specifically of the abdomen or womb (Dauterman Maguire et al. 1989: 7). However, it is also possible that the symbols shown on the earrings are a form of knot, meant to bind or confuse evil forces at play, acting as a protective measure (Dauterman Maguire et al. 1989: 7).
The provenance of this particular earring is minimal. Based on our records, the piece was purchased by Boris Blick in the late 1990s to 2005 from a small antique mall in Akron, Ohio. The purchase included a box of “Celtic-Roman-Saxon” artifacts for $185. Our records state that the owner of the antique mall in Akron purchased the box from a Colchester antique shop owner in 1972, who claimed that the pieces came from “local diggers.” While it is not confirmed that these pieces came from the Colchester area, it is certainly possible. We know that Byzantine influence spread as far as Britain, as well as northern Africa, Syria, and Spain (Dauterman Maguire et al. 1989: 1). We can also see that the style of this earring’s shape, string beads, and figure eight pattern are consistent with comparanda not just from Constantinople, but Greece, Egypt, Britain, and Germany (see list below). Based on Stolz’s hypothesis of styles branching out from imperial trends, it is possible that the crescent-shaped, strung bead, and figure eight style or motif would have traveled to the Colchester or greater Britain area and been replicated in a cheaper material for local people. Therefore, the earring represents not only multicultural interactions but also class layering.
Comparable Pieces:
Earring. Byzantine, 11th–12th c. Found in Mainz. The British Museum, 1904,1129.10. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1904-1129-10 (Viewed 4 November 2024).
Earring. 10th–11th c. The British Museum, 1872,0604.605. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1872-0604-605 (Viewed 4 November 2024).
Gold “Basket” Earring. Byzantine, 6th c. Said to have been found in Northern France. The Met, 17.192.97. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/465401 (Viewed 4 November 2024).
Crescent Shaped Earring. Byzantine, 11th c. The Cleveland Museum of Art. https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1946.493 (Viewed 4 November 2024).
Part of an Earring. Islamic, Egyptian. 11th c. Detroit Institute of Arts, 1986.100. https://dia.org/collection/part-earring-49363. (Viewed November 4, 2024).
Sources Consulted:
Albani, Jenny. “Elegance over the Bonders: The Evidence of Middle Byzantine Earrings.” In Intelligible Beauty: Recent Research on Byzantine Jewellery, eds. Chris Entwistle and Noël Adams, 193–202. London: British Museum, 2010.
Bosselmann-Ruickbie, Antje. Byzantinischer Schmuck des 9. bis frühen 13. Jahrhunderts: Untersuchungen zum metallenen dekorativen Körperschmuck der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit anhand datierter Funde. Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, 2011.
Dauterman Maguire, Eunice, Henry Maguire, and Maggie J. Duncan-Flowers. Art and Holy Powers in the Early Christian House. Urbana: Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1989.
Makris, Georgios. “Jewelry and People in the Byzantine Cemetery of Parapotamos, Epiros.” Speculum 98 (2023): 1019–52.
Stolz, Yvonne. “The Evidence for Jewellery Production in Constantinople in the Early Byzantine Period.” In Intelligible Beauty: Recent Research on Byzantine Jewellery, eds. Chris Entwistle and Noël Adams, 33–39. London: British Museum, 2010.
By: Lana Stone '26