Earring, One of a Pair

Unknown

11th century · Gold; wire, strips, filigree, and granulation · Islamic Art

These crescent-shaped (hilal) gold earrings have been fabricated with filigree openwork, beaded granulation, and several loops around the perimeter and interior which once attached gems. These characteristics, along with the hemispherical ornament, are typical of the opulent jewelry from the Fatimid Period (909–1171). The Fatimids ruled a kingdom that stretched across North Africa, the Levant and Hijaz, and as far south as Nubia, modern day Sudan, where it maintained control over the important gold mines which provided the raw materials required to make these sumptuous jewels.

Artist

Unknown

Date

11th century

Medium

Gold; wire, strips, filigree, and granulation

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915