Art Institute of Chicago

Necklace

Byzantine; Eastern Mediterranean

Date

probably 5th century

Medium

Gold, glass, and silvered glass beads (modern setting)

Culture

Roman Empire

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This necklace would have lent an appearance of far greater wealth to its owner than the actual value of its component parts. Made of gold and glass, the necklace includes silvered glass beads circled by flat gold disks that were meant to look like large pearls. The rounded end of the clasp does contain one small pearl, surrounded by gold wirework that imitates the gold openwork typical of early Byzantine jewelry between the third and the seventh century.

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