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Square-Headed Bow Brooch

second half 6th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 301
The bow brooch was a component of many Germanic women's dress. In Frankish territory brooches were generally worn in pairs, as decorative elements on a strap hanging from the belt. The bow refers to the bend or curve that links two terminals.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Square-Headed Bow Brooch
  • Date: second half 6th century
  • Culture: Frankish
  • Medium: Gilded silver and niello
  • Dimensions: Overall: 3 15/16 x 9/16 x 1 3/4 in. (10 x 1.4 x 4.5 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Silver
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.193.73
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

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Glass "Claw" Beaker, Glass, Frankish
Glass "Claw" Beaker
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5th–6th century
Miniature Square-Headed Brooch, Gilded silver inlaid with niello, Anglo-Saxon
Miniature Square-Headed Brooch
Anglo-Saxon
first half 6th century
Bow Brooch, Silver with gold-sheet overlay and garnets, East Germanic
Bow Brooch
East Germanic
400–450
Disk Brooch, Gold sheet, filigree, garnets with patterned foil backings, Frankish
Disk Brooch
Frankish
650–725
Miniature Square-Headed Brooch, Gilded silver inlaid with niello, Anglo-Saxon
Miniature Square-Headed Brooch
Anglo-Saxon
first half 6th century

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