Brooch in the Form of a Panther

Date: 100–300

Culture: Roman

Medium: Copper alloy inlaid with silver and niello

Dimensions: Overall: 1 5/16 x 2 1/2 x 1 1/8 in. (3.4 x 6.3 x 2.9 cm)

Classification: Metalwork-Copper alloy

Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1947

Accession Number: 47.100.18

Description

This brooch is exceptional in its naturalistic rendering of a panther. The spots are created not by enamel but by the niello process, in which incisions in the silver are filled with a black sulphur and then heated.

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