Shield Boss
This boss, or umbo, was originally attached over a hole in the center of a circular or oval wooden shield and protected the hand of the person holding it. The shield was carried by the grip (accession number 17.192.142a–c), which was riveted across the hollow center of the shield on the inner side. These objects come from the tomb of a military official in Vermand, France, an area known in the fourth century as Gaul, which was then a province of the Roman Empire. Other finds from the same tomb, including a belt buckle, a decorative plaque, and the fittings from a spear shaft, are displayed in one of the Metropolitan Museum’s galleries of early medieval art.
Artwork Details
- Title: Shield Boss
- Date: late 4th century
- Geography: Vermand
- Culture: Western European, Gallo-Roman (found in Vermand, France)
- Medium: Iron, silver, gold, glass
- Dimensions: H. 6 1/4 in. (16 cm); Diam. 7 7/8 in. (19.99 cm)
- Classification: Shields-Parts of
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
- Object Number: 17.192.141
- Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
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late 4th century
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