Earring/ornament

Korea

Three Kingdom period (57 B.C.-A.D. 676)

Medium
Gold
Classification
Costume and Accessories
Dimensions
A: 9.4 × 3 cm (3 11/16 × 1 3/16 in.); B: 9.5 × 3.1 cm (3 3/4 × 1 1/4 in.)
Culture
Korea
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Asia
Credit line
Kate S. Buckingham Fund
Rights
Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the Art Institute of Chicago

About this work

Gold earrings such as this one were one of the quintessential indicators of the elite class during the Three Kingdoms period (c. 57 BC–AD 676). Royals or aristocrats during this time were buried with many goods, almost invariably with earring. Based on the thickness of the uppermost rings, this set was worn by a female member, most likely hung from a separate strap around the ear. The noteworthy embellishment is the three-sided leaflets further adorned with minuscule granulation of golden grains, a testament of a sophisticated goldsmith technique at the time.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0