Egyptian
Earring
INV-0840
EgyptianNew Kingdom, mid- to late Dynasty 18, about 1400–1295 BCE
Earring
Egyptian →new kingdomeighteenth dynastyegyptianancientjewelryglass
Date
New Kingdom, mid- to late Dynasty 18, about 1400–1295 BCE
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
2.6 × 2.7 × 0.6 cm (1 × 1 1/16 × 3/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
This glass earring is half of a pair (with 1894.24) that an Ancient Egyptian craftsman made by first softening blue glass with heat and bending it around a rod. They then fused a twisted cane of white-and-black glass to the main body of the earring. A wire strung through the top would have allowed the wearer to hang this earring from their pierced ear, although on this object one of the suspension loops has broken off. This particular style was popular during the New Kingdom (about 1550–1069 BCE), when Egyptian men, women, and children of all social classes wore earrings made from glass, precious metals, or stone.
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