Brooch
550-600 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Beautiful and costly bow brooches such as this, were worn in pairs by women who could afford them. The fashion of wearing them changed over time. From the evidence of burials we know that the brooches were first used to fix a dress with one brooch on each shoulder. Later on, the brooches were worn at waist or thigh level when they were worn either on a decorative band suspended from a belt or perhaps were used to fasten a wrap-around skirt or dress. Bow brooches are named after the arch or bow in their middle and were fastened with a pin and catch on their back, similar to a safety-pin mechanism.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver-gilt, set with garnets |
| Brief description | Brooch, partially gilded silver inlaid with garnets set over stamped gold foil, with remains of an iron pin, probably made in France (Merovingian Empire), 550-600 |
| Physical description | Brooch, silver-gilt, set with garnets (two missing). |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Transferred from the British Museum |
| Production | Made in the Merovingian Empire. Said to have been found at Herpes, Charente, France |
| Summary | Beautiful and costly bow brooches such as this, were worn in pairs by women who could afford them. The fashion of wearing them changed over time. From the evidence of burials we know that the brooches were first used to fix a dress with one brooch on each shoulder. Later on, the brooches were worn at waist or thigh level when they were worn either on a decorative band suspended from a belt or perhaps were used to fasten a wrap-around skirt or dress. Bow brooches are named after the arch or bow in their middle and were fastened with a pin and catch on their back, similar to a safety-pin mechanism. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.112-1939 |
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| Record created | May 5, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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