Disk Brooch
Unknown Artist
6th century
Medium
Silver, wire, copper alloy rim, paste cabochons or stone, remnant of iron pin
Dimensions
Overall: 1 1/8 x 3/8 in. (2.9 x 1 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
17.191.144
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Disk Brooch, crafted by an unknown Frankish artisan in the 6th, exemplifies the refined metalworking of the early medieval Merovingian period. Measuring just 1 1/8 x 3/8 inches (2.9 x 1 cm), this petite jewelry piece was likely used to fasten cloaks or garments, serving both practical and decorative purposes among the Frankish elite. Its circular form reflects the geometric motifs popular in post-Roman Europe, blending Germanic traditions with lingering Roman influences as the Frankish kingdoms rose under leaders like Clovis I. Fashioned from silver with a copper alloy rim, the...