The jewelry of classical Greece

Magazine Antiques, Dec, 1994 by Joan R. Mertens

A rarity of quite a different character served to secure a lady's chignon. The eight straps composed of linked spools are fastened at one end to a medallion decorated with the bust of a maenad in low relief and at the other to rigid bands. The few surviving examples of such hair nets are associated with Egypt.

The decoration of classical Greek jewelry helps to define the shape of the object, it masks structural transitions, and it communicates a message. Accurately deciphering the message can present a considerable challenge, as suggested here by only a few examples. The decoration of the most straightforward works is directly related to their function, such as earrings with filigree foliate motifs and rings depicting scenes from the life of women with or without the inclusion of Aphrodite or Eros. More complex is the ring showing the suppliant Kassandra kneeling before the image of Athena at Troy. Quite apart from the question of whether the ring was made for a man or a woman, the Homeric subject emphasized by the prominent inscription make this a showpiece weighty with references not only to literature but perhaps also to other artistic renderings such as the picture of the sack of Troy painted at Delphi by Polygnotos of Thasos in the fifth century B.C. A ring showing a seated Oriental archer testing an arrow brings into focus a question posed by objects of Greek workmanship from what is today Ukraine: For whom were they intended? Did indigenous inhabitants commission Greek artists to depict their traditions and way of life? Did the resident Greeks develop a taste for local subject matter rendered in the finest Greek manner? Did the iconography of the indigenous peoples evoke in the Greeks memories of their victories over the Persians at Marathon and Salamis? We cannot expect definitive answers, but the possibilities deserve consideration.

Among the most magnificent objects in the exhibition is a pair of pendants depicting the head of Pheidias's image of the Athena Parthenos. The pendants were found on the western coast of the Black Sea in the Kul Oba tumulus, which contained the remains of a man and a woman sumptuously adorned with precious objects, a number of which are in the exhibition. The repousse central medallion of each pendant is set within a frame embellished with enameled ivy leaves and filigree tendrils. Below, a network of chains linked by rosettes supports three rows of ornate pendants. The profusion of ornament and the introduction of polychromy in this work contrast with the direct, unadorned style of the rings noted above. However, a feature of great significance in both cases is that the surfaces of gold are always of primary importance. The very official representation of Athena on the pendants includes her helmet, a full complement of jewelry, her owl, and her snakes--leading one to speculate on the purpose of the pendants. Were they, like the ring with the suppliant Kassandra, showpieces with several layers of meaning, or might they have been attributes of an official position?