A pair of Byzantine gold openwork earrings
Circa 6th-7th Century A.D.
Of lunate openwork form, the ornate design with a central cross enclosed within a circle and flanked by two peacocks, their wings upraised, the crescentic elements bordered below by beaded wire and pyramidal granulation, the wire hoop along the concave edge, tapering at one end to form the earwire, looped at the other end for the hook-and-loop closure, with chased and punched decoration, 4cm diam., 4.5cm high, weight 9g. and 9.3g. each (2)注脚Provenance:
with Galerie Archeologie Borowski, Paris.
Private collection, France, acquired from the above 10 April 1996.

For a discussion of the type, see L. Wamser et al., Die Welt von Byzanz - Europas Östliches Erbe, Munich, 2004, p. 320-323; cat. nos 607-609 are most comparable to the present lot, with a central cross and ornate, elaborate design. Though earrings of this type were widespread throughout the Byzantine Empire, those akin to the present lot show a greater technical expertise, suggesting they originated in a major artistic centre.