Rome, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A pair of drop earrings comprised of 16+ karat gold, the upper sections decorated with many symmetrically arranged granules, the lower drops of a sizeable conical form that resembles a conifer cone with its multiple plates or scales delineated with ball-like forms to produce an attractive pattern, and beneath each of these a small link from which a tiny bauble is suspended. The Romans associated the pine cone with Venus (Greek Aphrodite), the goddess of love. Furthermore Bacchus (Greek Dionysos) - the god of wine, pleasure, and madness - carried a pinecone tipped staff called a thyrsos as a fertility symbol. Weight: 11.4 grams. Size: 1.875" L (4.8 cm); pinecones measure .625" L x .5" in diameter (1.6 cm x 1.3 cm)

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#129466

Some wear and loss to detailing of pinecones, but much remains. Small repair to hook of one earring. Hooks do not function, but could be fitted to new settings in order to wear.