The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Credit Line: Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Christos G. Bastis Gift, 1999
Accession Number: 1999.209
Thursday, February 13, 2025
7:30 PM
Ancient Greek gold jewelry is renowned for its intricate designs and goldsmithing techniques, such as granulation. Adornment applied to both men and women, even to statues and other objects. Gold jewelry accompanied an individual throughout a lifetime to the grave. Statues could be adorned with wreaths or earrings, and vases could be adorned with painted gold necklaces. Women dedicated jewelry to a goddess in her temple. Royal families amassed extraordinary examples of goldwork, all of it ornate and substantial in size and weight. Numerous gold wreaths with leaves and acorns or berries have been discovered in royal tombs. Today some of the finest jewelers in Greece have found inspiration from these artifacts when developing their own jewelry for the public. In this lecture we will explore some of the finest examples of ancient Greek gold jewelry.
About Katherine Schwab
Dr. Katherine Schwab received her B.A. from Scripps College, her M.A. from Southern Methodist University, and her Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She is Professor Emerita of Art History & Visual Culture at Fairfield University, former curator of the Plaster Cast Collection at the Fairfield University Art Museum (1991–2024) and was Founding Director of the Arts Institute established in 2023. While specializing in ancient Greek art and archaeology, her research focuses on the Parthenon sculptural program. Scans of her metope drawings are permanently displayed in the Acropolis Museum. The original drawings formed a traveling exhibition in the United States from 2014 to 2018, including a time at the Timken Museum of Art. Her research extends to the Caryatid Hairstyling Project (film 2009), exhibition Hairstyles of the Classical World, 2015, and historic plaster casts of ancient sculpture. Her drawings and photographs formed three separate exhibitions at the Greek Consulate General in New York City. She has been a member of the Managing Committee of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and returns annually to Athens for her research. Recently retired, Dr. Schwab resides in San Diego and continues to conduct research in her focus areas.
Tickets: $16/21
The lecture will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for this event. Your name will be on an attendee list at the front door. Doors open at 7 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. This event will be presented in compliance with State of California and County of San Diego health regulations as applicable at the time of the lecture.