Bird-Shaped Brooch
Unknown Artist
500–600
Medium
Silver-gilt, garnets, foil backings for garnets; iron spring
Dimensions
Overall: 1 1/4 x 9/16 x 5/16 in. (3.1 x 1.4 x 0.8 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.191.166
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate Bird-Shaped Brooch crafted by an unknown Frankish artisan between 500 and 600 AD, exemplifies the exquisite metalwork of the early Merovingian period. Measuring just 1¼ inches wide, this tiny treasure was likely a cloak fastener, or fibula, worn by elites to secure garments while signaling wealth and status. Its zoomorphic form—a stylized bird in flight—reflects the Migration Period's love for animal motifs, blending functionality with symbolic artistry in everyday adornment. Fashioned from silver-gilt for a luminous golden sheen, the brooch features inlaid garnets, a prized gem...