Necklace

Place of OriginAsiatic, probably from Mesopotamia

Dateabout 2300 BCE

DimensionsL of necklace: 16 23/32 in. (42.5 cm); L of necklace with modern clasps: 17 29/32 in. (45.5 cm); L of a snake bead: 2 27/32 in. (7.2 cm); L of largest lapis bead: 1 31/32 in. (5 cm)

MediumGold and lapis lazuli

ClassificationJewelry

Credit LineGift of Thomas T. Solley

Object number

1991.109

Not on View

Collections

Decorative Arts

Comparative ReferencesSee also Needler, W., Jewellery of the Ancient Near East, Toronto, 1966, p. 4.

cf. Maxwell-Hyslop, K.R., Western Asiatic Jewellery c. 3000-612 B.C., London, 1971, p. lxiv, l, 10, 30.

cf. Jewellery THrough 7,000 Years, London, The British Museum, 1976, p. 39.

cf. Tait, H. (ed.), Seven Thousand Years of Jewellery, London, The British Museum, 1986, p. 25.

cf. Kawami, T., Jewels of the Ancients: Selections from the Jill Sackler Collection of Ancient Near Eastern Jewellery, London, Royal Academy of Arts exhibition, May-June 1987, p. 1, no. 1.

Label TextThe earliest example of jewelry in the Museum’s collection, this precious necklace not only adorned its owner, but it was perhaps meant to be a talisman for fertility as well. Jewelry was worn by both men and women and was also placed on statues and idols. The lavish blue stone lapis lazuli was not found locally, but imported from lands farther to the east (in what is now Afghanistan). The pendants in the shape of lotus buds resemble Egyptian ornament, though the lotus was also important in other ancient cultures. The golden snakes are characteristic Mesopotamian motifs.