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Gold necklace with coin pendants

3rd century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 169
Two openwork pendants are suspended from a double chain of figure-of-eight loops. Each pendant is set with an aureus (gold coin) of the Emperor Alexander Severus (r. A.D. 222–235). Their different sizes and the second spacer suggest that additional pendants are now missing from the chain. The use of coins in jewelry became very fashionable in the third century and persisted until the early seventh century.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Gold necklace with coin pendants
  • Period: Late Imperial
  • Date: 3rd century CE
  • Culture: Roman
  • Medium: Gold
  • Dimensions: Other: 31 1/2 in. (80 cm)
    Diam. (Large coin): 2 3/16 in. (5.6 cm)
    Diam. (Small coin): 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm)
  • Classification: Gold and Silver
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.190.1655
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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