Lombard S-shaped bird fibula, bronze

Product description

The Lombard bird brooch dates from the late 5th to 6th century AD and is based on an early medieval find from the Merovingian period, sourced from a private collection. The model for this Lombard bird brooch was a gilt silver S-shaped brooch with stylised bird heads at both ends and a row of garnet inlays in cloisonné technique on a waffle ground. In our replica, the cells are inlaid with red glass enamel instead of the original Almandine cloisonné. The brooch is available in high-quality bronze. The dimensions of the Lombard bird brooch are 3.7 x 3.2 cm. On the back, there is a sturdy pin with a spiral construction.

S-shaped bird brooches with red garnet inlays were widespread amongst the Lombards in the early Middle Ages. However, such S-shaped brooches with bird heads were also an essential part of the costume of other Germanic peoples such as the Franks, Bavarians, and Alemanni from the 5th to 7th centuries. The Lombard bird brooches from the Merovingian period are typical of the Germanic four-brooch costume, where two S-brooches worn on top of each other closed the neckline of the undergarment in a woman's costume.

Germanic bird brooches often featured inlays in the cloisonné technique. Small pieces of glass or gemstones (Almandines) were inserted into a previously applied network of metal cells on a waffle sheet of gold leaf or gilded silver and fastened by crimping the cell bars.