Pin Shank
Geometric Period (800–600 BCE)
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
11.4 × 0.9 × 0.6 cm (4 1/2 × 3/8 × 1/4 in.)
Classification
votive offering
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
198711
Art Historical Context
Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Department Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, *Pin Shank* is a bronze artifact from Ancient Greece's Geometric Period (800–600 BCE). Measuring just 11.4 × 0.9 × 0.6 cm, this slender object exemplifies the period's shift from the Mycenaean collapse toward a revived artistic tradition marked by precise, abstract forms. Crafted during an era when Greek city-states were emerging and trade networks expanded, such small bronzes reflect everyday craftsmanship elevated to ritual purpose. As a votive offering, *Pin Shank* likely served as part of a fibula or ...
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...