Torque (200–1 BCE): Art, History and Details

Torque (200–1 BCE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This torque, a type of necklace, is part of a set of jewelry including a bracelet of similar design (1986.182). Torques like this one were popular amongst the non-Greek speaking peoples of the ancient world, including the Scythians, Thracians, Persians, and many others. Though most torques are simple open-loop rings, this one was made with a hinge so that the wearer could open it to put it around their neck.

Object facts

• Title: Torque
• Date: 200–1 BCE
• Culture: Greece, late Hellenistic period
• Type: Metalwork
• Technique: silver
• Dimensions: Diameter: 17 cm (6 11/16 in.)
• Collection: GR - Greek
• Department: Greek and Roman Art
• Accession number: 1986.181

A detail from the museum

This torque is made from a single sheet of silver rolled into a tube and soldered lengthwise, then bent into a ring.

Collection credit

Anonymous Gift

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.