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408 THE BOOK OF THE PEARL
the
Venus of Milo, etc. In other instances the ornament was simply painted
on the ear as is shown in the Aphrodite in white marble which has been
found in Marseilles. This may also have been the case in the frieze at
Olympia. The earrings used in these statues were usually metal disks
entirely covering the lobe of the ear. We have, however, many
representations of pearl earrings in the paintings at Pompeii, and on
cameos and coins. These show us several of the types mentioned by
Pliny and other authors ; still, they are smaller and more
unpretentious than we might expect in view of the well-known luxury of
the Roman ladies in this respect. The greater part of the earrings
represented show a pearl suspended from a single wire; there are
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some, however, with three pearls, one above the other,1 and a few bearing several pearls loosely hung together, answering to the description of the crotalia. Others, again, bear pear-shaped pearls or elenchi.2 It
is a singular fact that scarcely any of the busts of Roman women are
ornamented with earrings, but it is quite possible that the cause for
this must be sought in the desire of the artist to dispense with
unimportant details which might detract from the general effect he
wished to produce. We may note, however, four female figures in the
Gallerie des Empereurs in the Louvre Museum, with the ears pierced for
the reception of earrings (Nos. 1195, 1202, 1230, and 1269).
Many numismatists, among them Dr. F. Louis Comparette,3 believe
1 Babelon, "Cab.des Antiq.,"pl. 33, fig. 3. 'Custodian of the coin collection of the
2 Duruy, "Hist, des Romains," Vol. I, p. Philadelphia Mint. 511.
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