Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Jeweled Brooch, from the Colmar Treasure
Not on view
Was this jewel meant to deter overly ardent suitors? According to a thirteenth-century French manual on proper deportment, brooches were intended to keep men from touching women where they should not. The central garnet is faceted to enhance its reflectivity, a practice that began around this time. It could be, however, that the brooch originally held an uncut stone that was lost, and this faceted garnet—the only gem secured by prongs—was added while the object was in private hands.
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