S-Shaped Brooch

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This lovely bronze brooch dates from the sixth century B.C. Brooches like these are characterized as serpentine because of their twisting, snakelike shape. Brooches of this type are found all over western and central Europe, most often in Italy. Both men and women are buried with them, and although they are usually made from bronze, examples have also been found made from gold, silver, and even iron.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art