Round Box Brooch

Viking

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 301

A menagerie of tiny animals inhabits the interlace patterns on this round brooch. The four oval compartments on the top show beasts with round eyes, open jaws, claw feet, and intricately entwined bodies. Known as a box brooch because it was used as a container for small objects, it would have been worn by a Viking woman on the island of Gotland to secure her shawl at the collar.

Round Box Brooch, Copper alloy, cast, traces of an iron pin, Viking

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Round Box Brooch, Copper alloy, cast, traces of an iron pin, Viking
Round Box Brooch, Copper alloy, cast, traces of an iron pin, Viking
Round Box Brooch, Copper alloy, cast, traces of an iron pin, Viking

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.