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Square-Headed Bow Brooch

530–560
Not on view
The jewelry made in Europe and the British Isles between the fourth and eighth centuries often merged geometric and animal forms into dizzying patterns, making it difficult to tell one creature from another. This example’s decorations include animal heads that merge feline and reptilian features, exemplifying the formal ambiguity favored at this time.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Square-Headed Bow Brooch
  • Date: 530–560
  • Culture: Frankish
  • Medium: Gilded silver inlaid with niello; iron spring/pin
  • Dimensions: 4 1/16 × 1 13/16 × 11/16 in. (10.3 × 4.6 × 1.8 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Silver
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.193.64b
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

More Artwork
Glass "Claw" Beaker, Glass, Frankish
Glass "Claw" Beaker
Frankish
5th–6th century
Square-Headed Bow Brooch, Gilded silver, niello inlay; iron spring/pin, Frankish
Square-Headed Bow Brooch
Frankish
530–560
Glass whorl or bead, Glass, Frankish
Glass whorl or bead
Frankish
5th–7th century CE
S-Shaped Brooch, Silver, gilded silver, garnets, niello inlay, and iron pin, Frankish
S-Shaped Brooch
Frankish
6th century
Rosette Brooch, Gilded silver, garnets with patterned foil backings and pearl, Frankish
Rosette Brooch
Frankish
550–650

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