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Bow Brooch

first 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: Bow Brooch
  • Date: first half 6th century
  • Culture: Frankish
  • Medium: Gilded silver with garnets
  • Dimensions: Overall: 1 15/16 x 3 5/16 x 1/2 in. (5 x 8.4 x 1.2 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Silver
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.192.151
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

More Artwork
Glass "Claw" Beaker, Glass, Frankish
Glass "Claw" Beaker
Frankish
5th–6th century
Disk Brooch, Silver, gilded silver, foil and wire, and glass paste or garnet, Frankish
Disk Brooch
Frankish
6th century
Bow Brooch, Silver with gold-sheet overlay and garnets, East Germanic
Bow Brooch
East Germanic
400–450
Bird-Shaped Brooch, Gilded silver inlaid with niello and garnets, Anglo-Saxon
Bird-Shaped Brooch
Anglo-Saxon
500–550
One of a Pair of Gold Cloisonné Earring, Gold, garnets with patterned foil backings, green stone; garnets with unpatterned foil backings are restorations, Frankish
One of a Pair of Gold Cloisonné Earring
Frankish
500–550

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