The Body Transformed: The Purpose and Power of Jewelry; "The urge to adorn ourselves is now nearly universal"

Pair of Gold Armbands

Above, Hellenistic, ca. 200 B.C., Greek, gold. These serpentine armbands represent two tritons, male and female, each holding a small winged Eros. The hoops behind the tritons' heads were used to attach the armbands to the sleeves of a garment, for otherwise, their weight (each over 6 1/2 ounces) would have caused them to slip down the arms. Rogers Fund, 1956, Metropolitan Museum of Art

What is jewelry? Why do we wear it? What meanings does it convey? Featured in this exhibit will be a rare head-to-toe ensemble from ancient Egypt that accompanied the elite into the afterlife, as well as items from the Royal Cemetery of Ur, implicated in one of the most mysterious rituals of ancient Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is presenting the exhibition Jewelry: The Body Transformed which will traverse time and space to explore how jewelry acts upon and activates the body it adorns. This global conversation about one of the most personal and universal of art forms brings together some 230 objects drawn almost exclusively from The Met collection. A dazzling array of headdresses and ear ornaments, brooches and belts, necklaces and rings created between 2600 B.C.E. and the present day will be shown along with sculptures, paintings, prints, and photographs that will enrich and amplify the many stories of transformation that jewelry tells. The exhibit is scheduled to end February 24, 2019.

“Jewelry is one of the oldest modes of creative expression — predating even cave painting by tens of thousands of years — and the urge to adorn ourselves is now nearly universal,” commented Max Hollein, Director of The Met. “This exhibition will examine the practice of creating and wearing jewelry through The Met’s global collection, revealing the many layers of significance imbued in this deeply meaningful form of art.”

If the body is a stage, jewelry is one of its most dazzling performers. Throughout history and across cultures, jewelry has served as an extension and amplification of the body, accentuating it, enhancing it, distorting it, and ultimately transforming it. Jewelry is an essential feature in the acts that make us human, be they rituals of marriage or death, celebrations or battles. At every turn, it expresses some of our highest aspirations.

“To fully understand the power of jewelry, it is not enough to look at it as miniature sculpture,” stated Melanie Holcomb, Curator, Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters. “While jewelry is ubiquitous, the cultures of the world differ widely regarding where on the body it should be worn. By focusing on jewelry’s interaction with — and agency upon — the human body, this exhibition brings in a key element that has been missing in previous studies of the subject.” bracelet

Exhibition Overview

The exhibition opens with a dramatic installation that emphasizes the universality of jewelry — precious objects made for the body, a singular and glorious setting for the display of art. Great jewelry from around the world will be presented in a radiant display that groups these ornaments according to the part of the body they adorn: head and hair; nose, lips, and ears; neck and chest; arms and hands; and waist, ankles, and feet.

Years 500–700, one of a pair of bracelets, probably made in Constantinople, Byzantine, gold, silver, pearls, amethyst, sapphire, glass, quartz. Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pages: 1 · 2

Culture and Arts, Health, Fitness and Style, Art and Museums, History, Culture Watch, Beauty, Style and Fashion, Senior Women Web, Articles, Sightings, What's New

The Body Transformed: The Purpose and Power of Jewelry; "The urge to adorn ourselves is now nearly universal"

More Articles