Bird-Shaped Brooch
Unknown Artist
second half 6th century
Medium
Silver, glass paste
Dimensions
Overall: 1 3/16 x 1/2 x 1/4 in. (3 x 1.3 x 0.7 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
17.192.180
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Bird-Shaped Brooch crafted in the second half of 6th century by unknown Frankish artisan, the refined metalworking skills of the early Merovingian period. Made from silver inlaid with glass paste—likely mimicking precious gems—this tiny adornment measures just 1 3/16 x 1/2 x 1/4 inches, yet its delicate form captures a bird in flight with graceful wings and a pointed beak. Such brooches were not mere trinkets but functional fasteners for cloaks and garments, often serving as symbols of status among the Frankish elite in post-Roman Gaul. Frankish jewelry from this era reflects a...