Flattened Wire

Art Historical Context

Behold this delicate fragment known as *Flattened Wire*, a to the exquisite metalworking skills of 7th-century Frankish. Crafted from pure gold and measuring just 2⅝ × 1/16 inches (6.7 × 0.1 cm), this slender strip exemplifies the precision of early medieval goldsmiths. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval department—generously gifted by J. Pierpont Morgan in 1917—it offers a glimpse into the opulent world of the Merovingian Franks, who ruled much of western Europe during this era. In Frankish culture, gold was prized for its symbolic power, often adorning jewelry, religious ar...