Brooch thumbnail 1
Brooch thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Brooch

500-600 (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
Partially gilded silver and niello inlaid with garnets (one glass replacement) with remains of an iron pin
Brief description
Brooch, partially gilded silver and niello, inlaid and set with garnets. Made in France (Merovingian Empire), 500-600
Physical description
Brooch, silver-gilt, decorated with niello and set with garnets over patterned foil.
Dimensions
  • Height: 5.1cm
  • Width: 8.6cm
  • Depth: 1.2cm
Style
Credit line
Transferred from the British Museum
Production
Merovingian Empire. Found at Herpes, Charente
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.113-1939

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Record createdMay 5, 2005
Record URL
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