Pin Shank
Geometric Period (800–600 BCE)
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
7.6 × 0.3 × 0.3 cm (3 × 1/8 × 1/8 in.)
Classification
votive offering
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
196464
Art Historical Context
### Pin Shank: A Geometric Greek Votive Treasure Step into the world of ancient Greece with this delicate *Pin Shank*, a bronze from the Geometric Period (. 800–600 BCE). Measuring just 7.6 × 0.3 × 0.3 cm, this slender shaft once formed part of a fibula—a clothing pin used to secure garments like the peplos or himation. Crafted in bronze, a prized metal alloy of copper and tin, it showcases the early Greeks' skill in casting and hammering small-scale metalwork. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, it stands as a classified votive offering...
About the Artist
Ancient Greek
The artist known simply as "Ancient Greek" represents the anonymous masters of Attic vase painting, a cornerstone of Classical Greek art from the Archaic and Classical periods (circa 700–300 BCE). Little is known of their personal life, as ancient Greek potters and painters rarely signed their works or left biographical traces; early life and training remain not well documented. These creators ope...