Having visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I got a great opportunity to explore the world of jewelry of ancient times and I believe that this discovery changed my perception of the art of body decoration. I focused my attention on the jewelry of Ancient Greece as Greeks were definitely those who appreciated it the most.
In my report I would like to compare two jewelry objects: from Ancient Greece and modern time. It is not a secret that Greeks were connoisseurs of beauty and aesthetics. From the archeological finds that preserved till today we may know that this nation has reached the top in jewelry art at that time. A vivid example of the Greek jewelry is gold earrings with head of a lion that is exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They date back to 4th-3rd century B.C. and have the diameter of 2.1 cm. The earrings are made of gold as most of jewelry for noble people at that time. These art objects have much in common with modern jewelry. I found out pieces that look almost the same as those of Ancient Greece. The Cartier earrings are made of yellow gold with black lacquer and tsavorite garnets. They refer to PANTHÈRE de Cartier Collection. Greek earrings have lion as a central element, which symbolizes power and fearlessness. Cartier’s panther symbolizes femininity and grace. Both art objects are definitely not the part of everyday jewelry; they are pieces for particular people on special occasions.
All in all, it is evident that the jewelry of our time has much in common with the ancient one. There are the same ideas and materials used as well as the status of these pieces is also similar – it is not an everyday earrings.
Metropolitan Museum
Cartier Jewelry
