耳飾|Earring

Unknown

Date unknown · Bone · Asian Art

By the Middle Jōmon period, the food supply in Japan had stabilized enough that the Jōmon people could focus their activities more on crafts and spiritual life. This led to the development of a wide variety of body ornaments, such as the earring seen here, some of which feature very elaborate designs. It is speculated that body ornamentation may have served a religious or spiritual purpose, but it may also have represented social rank and status.

Artist

Unknown

Date

Date unknown

Medium

Bone

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975