Crossbow Brooch

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A crossbow brooch of the type worn by civil servants in fifth-century Pannonia. Consisting of a relatively long catch plate, substantial bow, and onion-shaped knob, the brooch features silver inlays, adorned with an intricate pattern of zigzag lines and tiny circles and spirals. The safety mechanism for the catchplate is a wedge-shaped safety bar, now amalgamated to the brooch.

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