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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1968.96
Title
Shield-Shaped Openwork Clasp
Classification
Jewelry
Work Type
jewelry
Date
early 2nd Millennium
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World
Period
Byzantine period
Culture
Byzantine
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/221568

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Leaded brass
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
5.5 x 3.5 x 0.7 cm (2 3/16 x 1 3/8 x 1/4 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Leaded Brass
Alloying Elements: copper, lead, zinc
Other Elements: tin, iron, nickel
K. Eremin, January 2014

Technical Observations: The patina is brown and shows no definite signs of deep corrosion. Remains of gray friable burial accretions or mold material are caught in recesses. Two thin modern rods have been inserted between the perforated plaque and the crossbars and glued in place using a dark brown material and some transparent glue. The rods are used to mount the object to its base, which is cast stone or perhaps tinted plaster.

This object was cast in one piece by the lost-wax process. It was assembled from several wax components: the perforated plaque, the hook, and the two crossbars on the back. The plaque component was probably formed indirectly in the wax, and the holes were already present in the wax model, as can be seen from their rounded edges—especially on the back—and the metal flashes that filled some of the openings and were not chased clean. The recessed perpendicular grooves around the edges that help define the pattern of perforations on the front of the object were also created in the wax stage, as can be seen from the soft quality of the fine parallel ridges. The object does not appear to have been heavily reworked after casting, except to eliminate a few flashes, for example along the side of the hook. A few small scratches on one of the flashes reveal shiny metal. The diagonal striations on the crossbars were also present in the wax. The upper one is slightly caved in.


Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2012)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Richard R. Wagner, gift; to the Fogg Museum, 1968.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Richard R. Wagner
Accession Year
1968
Object Number
1968.96
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
This tongue-shaped clasp is rounded at one end, with a straight edge at the other; out of the straight edge, an irregular, circular-sectioned hook emerges. The plaque has a solid border that surrounds lattice-like field, with perforations alternating with raised sections of metal. The reverse of the plaque is concave, and two horizontal bars are attached to one face of the plaque, under which are inserted the pegs of the modern mount. The bars seem to have been part of the original object.

Lisa M. Anderson

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu