Metalwork Penannular brooches take the form of a broken circle with a pin attached to the ring. The earliest brooches were simple wire dress fasteners. The ends beside the opening in the ring were bent back to retain the pin, which was connected to it by a loop. Later, brooches were cast in bronze or silver (Fig. 23.11). As time went by, the loop on the pin and the decorated areas beside the opening of the ring were enlarged to incorporate more elaborate designs.
Enlarged pin loop
Cast ring with areas for decoration
The Ballinderry Brooch (c. AD 600) l Form: A cast-bronze ring with enlarged areas next to the opening. A pin with an enlarged loop and a bronze spiral are attached to the ring (Fig. 23.12).
l Function: The brooch was used to fasten a cloak or tunic.
l Technique: The ring and pin were cast in bronze. There is millefiori glass decoration on the ends of the ring and on the pin head.
l Decoration: A range of textures and patterns on the cast bronze brooch form a zoomorph on each end of the ring. These animal heads are almost abstract; viewed from above, their bulbous noses face the ring. Protruding eyes are met by the shield-shaped areas of enamel that form the tops of their heads, while small rounded ears border the opening.
Ends of the ring bent back to retain the pin
Figure 23.11 Simple penannular brooches. Coil of bronze wire
Millefiori literally means ‘a thousand flowers’, because an area decorated in this way can look like a field of flowers. Sticks of coloured enamel are melted together and stretched into a long thin rod. Thin sections can be cut from the rod and applied to a metal surface by heating.
Figure 23.12 The Ballinderry Brooch.
Grooved ring Pin loop Cast zoomorph
Millefiori
CHAPTER 23 THE EARLY CHRISTIAN PERIOD (5TH AND 6TH CENTURIES)
