700-900
Sweden
Object qualities
-
Object
-
Type of arts & crafts
-
MediumCopper alloy, cast, traces of an iron pin
-
SizeOverall: 2 1/16 x 7/8 x 1/16 in. (5.2 x 2.3 x 0.2 cm)
-
Geography detailsMade in
Sweden -
Country today
-
Date700-900
-
CultureViking
Source of information
-
Type of sourceDatabase “Metropolitan Museum of Art”
-
Fund that the source refers toMetropolitan Museum of Art
Description
-
A menagerie of tiny animals inhabits the interlace patterns on this round brooch. The four oval compartments on the top show beasts with round eyes, open jaws, claw feet, and intricately entwined bodies. Known as a box brooch because it was used as a container for small objects, it would have been worn by a Viking woman on the island of Gotland to secure her shawl at the collar.