Crossbow Brooch

Unknown

early 400s · Cast copper alloy with silver inlay · Medieval 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.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 400s

Medium

Cast copper alloy with silver inlay

Culture

Late Roman or Byzantine

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Purchase, The Kurt Berliner Foundation Gift, 2001