Crossbow Fibula

Creator

Preview

Creation Date

4th century CE

Geography

Britannia; Colchester, England

Culture

Romano-British

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

3 1/2 × 2 1/4 × 1 1/4 in. (8.89 × 5.7 × 3.2 cm)

2.120 oz. (60.1 g)

Credit Line

Long-term Loan from the Estate of Boris Blick, 2015

Accession Number

2015.169.3

Provenance

Purchased by Boris Blick from a dealer at a small antique mall in Akron, Ohio, sometime between the mid-1990s and 2005. Said to have been found in 1968 during a dig at Colchester, England.

Condition

The catch of the brooch, where the pin slides in, is bent to the left. There are two holes on the wings on the head of the brooch, one on each wing, from which there is corrosion and rusty discoloration. These are where the material is at its thinnest and, therefore, most fragile.

Elizabeth Redmond (’25), October 2023

Description

This is a bronze crossbow fibula (brooch), circa 4th century CE. The bronze coloring has faded with time, and corrosion has turned the piece into a dark green. The head of the piece is symmetrical as a part of a traverse bar, each side with their own hole in the middle of the arm and a pointed finial at the end. The head intersects with the hinge of the pin. From that intersection, there is a curved bow that connects to the bottom catch of the pin, adding that crossbow appearance. The curve of the arch lends a dynamism to the piece, like a bow pulled back before firing. From the bow, the viewer is pulled to the foot of the piece and the catch of the pin. The foot lays flat and narrow, and it features an etching of a sword. The design of the sword has a wrapped handle, with two circles on either side of the handle. There are three circles on either side of the point of the blade, again creating symmetry. The curve of the bow into the catch is visually tense. The viewer is pulled from the drawn-out movement of the bow down to the flat and static presence of the sword, creating a dichotomy of shape and energy from the top of the fibula to its end.

Elizabeth Redmond (’25)