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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1992.256.139
Title
Fibula
Classification
Jewelry
Work Type
fibula, pin
Date
8th-7th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Phrygia
Period
Geometric period to Orientalizing
Culture
Greek
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/304395

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
h. 6.6 x l. 8.5 x w. (of arc) 1.3 x th. (of arc) 0.6 cm (2 5/8 x 3 3/8 x 1/2 x 3/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: lead, iron, silver, antimony
K. Eremin, January 2014

Technical Observations: The patina is a crusty brown and green layer over a smooth green and crystalline red cuprite surface; there are a few areas of shiny black, brown, and bare metal. Burial deposits are present at the catchplate. The fibula is largely intact, although half of one of the knobs is lost. The pin was reattached to the spring with a copper alloy solder or braising compound that is poorly aligned.

The bow of the fibula was cast and then wrought to shape the spiral and form the pin. The knobs are hollow domes that were cast separately with their round pins. They were attached to the fibula body mechanically by inserting the pins through holes and hammering them over.


Carol Snow (submitted 2002)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Louise M. and George E. Bates, Camden, ME (by 1971-1992), gift; to the Harvard University Art Museums, 1992.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Louise M. and George E. Bates
Accession Year
1992
Object Number
1992.256.139
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Related Works

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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