Earring with Nike driving a two-horse chariot

A masterpiece of the goldsmith's art, this extraordinary earring features Nike, the goddess of victory, driving a two-horse chariot. The figures are modeled in the round and form a pendant suspended from a disc in the shape of a honeysuckle palmette. Wearing a belted chiton (tunic), a full-length skirt, and several items of jewelry, Nike leans forward, her left hand pulling on the reins of the horses, whose front legs rear sharply. The features on the goddess's face are crisp and her expression resolute, while the animals appear startled and tense. Raised as if in flight, Nike's elaborate, feathery, and finely chased wings provide an elegant counterbalance to the dynamic composition. The overall impression is one of energy, determination, and movement. Given its size and workmanship-so accomplished that the artist perhaps copied a large-scale model or was an experienced sculptor-the earring was probably made for a member of royalty or a cult statue.Like many adornments from antiquity, the ornament is composed of individual elements soldered together-in this case, more than a hundred. The bodies of the figures are crafted from gold sheet that is superbly modeled and embellished with wirework details and small gold balls. The honeysuckle palmette that surmounts the pendant is fashioned into curved petals and circular stamens outlined with fine twisted wires; remnants of enamel survive on several of the stamens. In the center of the leaf is a tear-shaped fruit encrusted with dense gold granulation. A hoop on the underside was probably attached to an ear wire, which is now missing.