102 - Pair of silver earrings. Greece, 6th–4th centuries B.C.

Pair of silver earrings. Greece, 6th–4th centuries B.C. Handcrafted silver with plant motifs and granulated details. Total weight: 23 g. Measurements: 35 mm. Provenance: Family bequest of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. An archaeological collection assembled beginning in the 1950s by successive generations of the family through purchases at European galleries and auction houses. This lot previously belonged to a major Spanish private collection of ancient Greek and Roman jewelry. A unique pair of earrings attributed to ancient Greece, whose elaborate ornamentation reflects the refinement of Mediterranean goldsmithing in antiquity and the prominence of jewelry as symbols of distinction and personal prestige. Crafted in silver, they feature a thick-walled ring structure with a slightly elliptical profile, enriched with ornamental elements of remarkable three-dimensionality. Particularly noteworthy are the plant-inspired motifs, arranged in clusters that evoke bunches of fruit, as well as the grainy-looking elements and decorative bands that lend visual richness and complexity to the composition. The contrast between the smooth surface of the rings and the meticulous detailing of their edges is one of the main attractions of these pieces. Ancient Greek jewelry achieved extraordinary technical and artistic development, incorporating motifs drawn from nature and an ornamental repertoire of great symbolic richness. Clusters, fruits, and plant elements were common in the decorative arts of the Greek world, associated in certain contexts with ideas of fertility, abundance, and prosperity.