Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Nose Ring
(Ancient Americas )
This hollow, tubular ring is thought to be a nose ornament, with a small gap in the ring to allow it to be inserted into a stretched septum piercing. Based on contemporaneous artworks featuring figures wearing septum rings, the gap would likely have been pinched closed or concealed within the nostrils when worn.
Larger metal pieces, such as this nose ring, were often hollow. The inner circumference has gaps in the tube that would have allowed artisans to remove the remnants of the mold from inside of the ring after casting. This nose ring is comprised of a metal alloy called “tumbaga.” While it is typically bright gold in color, “tumbaga” often included copper, tin, and other metals. This alloy had relatively little gold in it, making it strong enough to be continuously worked. The surface of this ring was etched with acid to make it appear more golden, a technique called depletion gilding.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Tiffany & Co., New York, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1910, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2015 | Gold of the Ancient Americas. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 4/16/2015 | Treatment | Minor cleaning for exhibition |
| 4/16/2015 | Treatment | The ring nose is a lost wax hollow casting. The casting is made of a gold alloy containing a fair amount of copper, tumbaga. The surface was acid etched to remove copper and make it appear more gold, a technique called depletion gilding. Etched dendritic patterns are visible in the better preserved areas of the surface. The surface was grimy and was gently cleaned prior to installation in the Ancient Americas gold exhibition (opened May 9, 2015). |
Geographies
Panama
(Place of Origin)
Colombia (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 1 5/16 × W: 1 7/16 × D: 3/8 in. (3.3 × 3.6 × 1 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1910
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
57.339