Shield Grip

Unknown

late 4th century · Iron, silver · Arms and Armor

The shield was carried by the grip, which was riveted across the hollow center of the shield on the inner side. This object and the associated shield boss (accession number 17.192.141) come from the tomb of a military official in Vermand, France, an area known in the fourth century as Gaul, which was then a province of the Roman Empire. Other finds from the same tomb, including a belt buckle, a decorative plaque, and the fittings from a spear shaft, are displayed in one of the Metropolitan Museum’s galleries of early medieval art.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 4th century

Medium

Iron, silver

Culture

Western European, Gallo-Roman (found in Vermand, France)

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917