Replica of a zoomorphic bow brooch from the Merovingian period.
This bow brooch with plastic animal head ends was made true to detail after a historical original from the early Middle Ages and dates to the time of approx. 500 - 600 AD.The historical model for this replica was made entirely of silver and had dark inlays of black niello. Today it is in the Clevaland Museum of Art in Ohio / USA. Link to the original bow brooch...
We offer this bow brooch in high-quality bronze and in genuine silver-plated.
Dimensions of the zoomorphic brooch: 8,2 x 5 cm.
The needle has a length of 4 cm.
In the Merovingian period, bow brooches were mainly worn by West Germanic women and were very common in the Alemannic, Frankish and Thuringian cultural areas during the Early Middle Ages.
The brooches were part of the so-called "Vierfibeltracht" (four brooch costume), which was typical for the garments of the West Germanic peoples and consisted of two larger brooches in the lower part of the garment and two smaller S-fibulas in the upper part.
The brooches were used to close the garment by wearing them in pairs, one above the other, near the waist.