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Earspool

An earspool with a circular, flat decoration attached to a cylindrical post. The circular face has intricate details on its surface, arranged in radial circular patterns, and a bird with a small fish near its foot at the center.

An earspool with a circular, flat decoration attached to a cylindrical post. The circular face has intricate details on its surface, arranged in radial circular patterns, and a bird with a small fish near its foot at the center.

Culture Sicán
Title Earspool
Date Ca. 1050–1100
Medium Gold
Dimensions Object: 4 5/16 × 4 7/8 in. (11 × 12.4 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 4 3/4 × 4 5/16 × 4 7/8 in. (12.1 × 11 × 12.4 cm)
Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 2010.48

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About this Work

Decorated gold earspools such as this, which were worn in pairs, would have marked a man from the top echelons of society and were among the types of objects that were buried with him at death. The cylindrical portion passed through an enlarged hole in the ear lobe. It was held in place by a thread that passed across the back of the head and was attached to a hole in each shaft, leaving the wearer's face framed by the disks.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Earspool | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.48