Key Handle
Unknown Artist
1st–7th century
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
Overall: 3 1/4 x 1 13/16 x 11/16 in. (8.3 x 4.6 x 1.8 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Copper alloy
Culture
Roman
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, De Souhami Collection, Rogers Fund, 1906
Accession Number
06.176.28
Art Historical Context
This delicate **Key Handle**, crafted from copper alloy by an unknown Roman artist between 1st and 7 centuries, offers a glimpse into the everyday artistry of the late Roman world. Measuring just 3¼ × 1⅞ × ⅝ inches (8.3 × 4.6 × 1.8 cm), it once formed part of a functional key, blending utility with subtle elegance. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Medieval Art departmentreflecting its bridge from antiquity the early Middle Ages—this small treasure was acquired in 1906 the Rogers Fund and De Souhami Collection. In Roman culture, keys symbolized authority, security, and domestic control,...