Of lunate openwork form, the ornate design with a central cross enclosed within a circle and flanked by two peacocks, their wings upraised, the crescentic elements bordered below by beaded...
Of lunate openwork form, the ornate design with a central cross enclosed within a circle and flanked by two peacocks, their wings upraised, the crescentic elements bordered below by beaded wire and pyramidal granulation, the wire hoop along the concave edge, tapering at one end to form the earwire, looped at the other end for the hook-and-loop closure, with chased and punched decoration. With modern gold hooks.
Condition Minor surface wear including chipping and dents, the hoops are slightly mis-shaped. With modern gold hooks.
With Galerie Archeologie Borowski, Paris, 1996 Private collection, France, acquired from the above
Literature
This pair of earrings are a fine example of Byzantine openwork jewellery. Openwork jewellery is decorated with elaborate patterns in gold filigree, granulation, and wire on sheets of gold. The peacocks are specifically Christian motif, symbolising paradise, renewal, and spring. For a discussion of the type, see L. Wamser et al., Die Welt von Byzanz - Europas Östliches Erbe, Munich, 2004, pp. 320-323; cat. nos. 607-609. For a similar example with peacocks see, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C. BZ.1952.13.1–2 (currently on loan to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).