Metropolitan Museum Examines Jewelry's History in 'Jewelry: The Body Transformed'

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York presents 'Jewelry: The Body Transformed,' an exhibition exploring the multifaceted roles of jewelry throughout history. Featuring 230 objects primarily from the Met's own collection, the show spans from 2600 BCE to the present day. The exhibition is organized thematically into sections: 'The Divine Body' examines jewelry's connection to immortality with artifacts from ancient Egypt and the Royal Cemetery of Ur in Mesopotamia; 'The Regal Body' highlights how jewelry asserted rank and status, showcasing sapphires and pearls from Byzantium, finely worked gold from Hellenistic Greece, and ivory and bronze from the royal courts of Benin; 'The Transcendent Body' focuses on ornaments used to evoke spirits, appease gods, and invoke ancestors; 'The Alluring Body' explores jewelry's link to desire, with woodblock prints and period ornaments illustrating how hairstyles indicated a courtesan's availability in Edo, Japan; and 'The Resplendent Body' addresses jewelry as ostentation, from opulent Mughal ornaments to elegant designs by Castellani, Lalique, and Tiffany & Co. The exhibition runs through February 24, 2019, at The Met Fifth Avenue.