标题：Pure gold with poor workmanship – some unusual pieces of polychrome metalwork from the 5th-century Carpathian basin = Az arany teszi az embert – gyenge kidolgozású polikróm aranytárgyak az 5. századi Kárpát-medencéből
摘要：Jewellery, dress accessories and other personal ornaments made of precious metal and decorated with
gemstones were representative elements (prestige objects) of Migration-period supra-regional fashion in
Europe. Due to their valuable materials and impressive appearance, these polychrome artefacts are highlighted
items in art albums and exhibition catalogues as the key objects of the period. Their vast majority represents
high standard of workmanship even from a modern perspective. A small minority comprises, however, objects of
lower or even poor quality, falling below the standard. This paper focuses on these exceptions. Dozen finds
showing low-quality workmanship are collected, analysed and interpreted below, with special attention to their
technical features, material compositions as well as their functions as status indicator.
Our results indicated that the poorly-made objects were produced in workshops of local significance following
and imitating high-standard models. The observed technological features pointed out that their makers were
inexperienced in techniques requiring meticulous work and precision. The analytical data revealed, however,
that they were dominantly made of high purity gold with a composition of partly or wholly identical to that of the
technically outstanding items. Apparently, the high social status was not so demanding on the workmanship,
rather the quality of the processed gold.
关键词：5TH;CENTURY ELITE; POLYCHROME METALWORK; HIGH PURITY GOLD; WORKMANSHIP; IMITATION
