Bow Fibula, One of a Pair
- Culture
- Merovingian, c.450–751
- Date
- 6th century
- Classification
- Jewelry & personal accessories, metalwork
- Collection
- Decorative Arts and Design
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 237
- Dimensions
- 3 1/2 x 2 in. (8.9 x 5.1 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 58:1949
NOTES
Fibulae (singular fibula), were brooches or pins used to hold garments in place. They were worn as pairs with one placed on each shoulder. Fibulae performed the sorts of functions that buttons do today, a forerunner to the modern safety pin.
Based on simple geometry, the decorative patterns that adorn these examples echo and enhance the shapes of the parts. The fan form at the top, known as the head plate, includes triangular wedges and spokes ornamented with red glass paste. The middle band, called the bow, is arched to maintain tension in the pin and is embellished with gouged lines and circles. The bottom tab, known as the foot plate, has been incised with variations of a diamond shape.
Provenance
by 1947 - 1949
Brummer Gallery, Inc. (Joseph Brummer, d.1947), New York, NY [1]
1949 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased through R. Stora & Company, New York, at the sale of the Joseph Brummer Collection, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, April 20-23, 1949, lot no. 225 [2]
Notes:
This bow fibula is one of a pair that share the same provenance (accession numbers 57:1949, 58:1949).
[1] The pair of bow fibulas are listed as being lent by the Brummer Gallery for a 1947 exhibition at the Walters Art Gallery ["Early Christian and Byzantine Art: An Exhibition Held at the Baltimore Museum of Art." Baltimore: Trustees of the Walters Art Gallery, 1947, cat. no. 838, p. 163].
[2] According to the auction catalogue both fibulas were in the estate of the Joseph Brummer Collection ["The Notable Collection Belonging to the Estate of the Late Joseph Brummer, Part 1," Parke-Bernet Galleries, April 20-23, 1949, lot no. 225, pgs. 53-54]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, May 12, 1949.
Brummer Gallery, Inc. (Joseph Brummer, d.1947), New York, NY [1]
1949 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased through R. Stora & Company, New York, at the sale of the Joseph Brummer Collection, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, April 20-23, 1949, lot no. 225 [2]
Notes:
This bow fibula is one of a pair that share the same provenance (accession numbers 57:1949, 58:1949).
[1] The pair of bow fibulas are listed as being lent by the Brummer Gallery for a 1947 exhibition at the Walters Art Gallery ["Early Christian and Byzantine Art: An Exhibition Held at the Baltimore Museum of Art." Baltimore: Trustees of the Walters Art Gallery, 1947, cat. no. 838, p. 163].
[2] According to the auction catalogue both fibulas were in the estate of the Joseph Brummer Collection ["The Notable Collection Belonging to the Estate of the Late Joseph Brummer, Part 1," Parke-Bernet Galleries, April 20-23, 1949, lot no. 225, pgs. 53-54]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, May 12, 1949.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.