Pair of Earrings

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Pair of Earrings

Iran, first half of 11th century
Jewelry and Adornments; earrings
Gold, sheet, wire, and granules
Height: 1 3/8 in. (3.49 cm) each
The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost (M.2002.1.544a-b)
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

...
Much of what is known about personal adornment from the medieval Islamic world is largely limited to jewelry since textiles deteriorate quickly and few garments survive. While jewelry is also rare since it was frequently melted down, extant pieces like these earrings provide an idea of the types of fashions available in eleventh-century Iran. A number of features, like the delicate filigree work, are shared with contemporaneous Egyptian and Syrian jewelry, revealing the exchange of styles across the Islamic world.
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Bibliography

  • Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.

  • Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.