These earrings were purchased as early as in 1881, only five years after the founding of the Kunstgewerbemuseum. Following a brief description of these objects in an inventory from this period, there is the information that they had “allegedly been found in Pompey [sic]”. Already the author of the inventory seems to have had doubts about this provenance. In fact, it can be established with a high degree of certainty that the earrings are nineteenth-century imitations that were not necessarily intended as fakes, but rather as fashionable accessories for a clientele with purchasing power and an enthusiasm for antiquities.
The reception of antique jewellery began as early as in the eighteenth century and was taken up again and again in the following. When, over the course of this period, women’s fashion increasingly oriented towards the flowing, body-hugging garments of antiquity, jewellery was also adapted accordingly.
Although it has not yet been possible to identify the specific models for these earrings, it can be safely assumed that the unknown goldsmith was familiar with finds from archaeological excavations. Pendants in the shape of amphorae are very typical of ancient jewellery. A specimen allegedly found in Egypt (together with a bracelet), which is now preserved at the British Museum in London, also combines an amphora with an ornate disc shape.
Text: Alexander Röstel