Wing Brooch

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This richly decorated brooch, wrought in silver, is an exceptional example of a type of brooch made in the Roman border province of Pannonia, on the Danube River. These objects are called "wing brooches" because of the winglike extensions that flank the knob at the bend of the bow. On this work, the knob is decorated with a zigzag pattern, and the two wings are adorned with two small knobs. A punchwork design extends from the knob along the length of the bow. As is typical of the few other surviving examples of this quality, the large, trapezoidal catch plate is covered with gold foil, except where it is pierced with elaborate patterns. Twisted gold wire laid down in wavy lines and scroll-and-heart motifs decorate the foil. Four carnelians frame the two intricate openwork patterns near the tip of the catch plate—one of linked circles and one of linked hearts. Rounded and rosette-shaped silver studs also ornament the surface. Except for minor losses to the gold foil, the brooch is complete and in excellent condition. On the basis of burial and pictorial evidence, wing brooches like this one were worn by women in pairs, on the shoulder, with the intricately pierced catch plates protruding above their robes, creating a relatively delicate, patterned effect.

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