Necklace with Amulets

Ancient Mediterranean →

ancientglassjewelry

Date

1st-4th century

Medium

Glass

Dimensions

50.2 × 3.2 cm (19 3/4 × 1 1/4 in.); Diam.: 3.2 cm (1 1/4 in.)

Museum

Art Institute of Chicago

Location

Chicago, IL

Credit

Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson

Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome to create tableware and containers for oils and perfume. Glass was also used in jewelry as an economical substitute for more expensive precious or semi-precious stones. This necklace also includes magic amulets, believed both to ward off evil and to guarantee good luck.

Also notable

Works in the same vein

Statuette of a Seated Girl

Greek; Athens

Ring with a Scarab Bezel

Egyptian

Pyxis (Container for Personal Objects)

Greek; Athens

Ancient Windows

Horacio Renteria Rocha Mexican, 1912–1972