


Round Box Brooch, 1000–1100
Viking; Made in Gotland, Sweden
Copper alloy with silver and niello inlays
Viking; Made in Gotland, Sweden
Copper alloy with silver and niello inlays
2 1/2 x 1 7/16 in. (6.3 x 3.6 cm)
Purchase, Fletcher Fund and Bequest of Gwynne M. Andrews, by exchange, 1982 (1982.323.2)
Women on the Scandinavian island of Gotland wore box brooches to secure their shawls at the collarbone; the brooches doubled as a container to hold small objects. This example is decorated with tiny beasts, which inhabit the interlace patterns on the top and sides. Viking art generally eschews figural decoration in favor of lively patterns based on stylized animals.







