Eagle Brooch
| Culture | Visigothic |
|---|---|
| Title | Eagle Brooch |
| Date | 500–600 CE |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Dimensions | Overall: 3 5/16 x 1 3/4 x 5/8 in. (8.4 x 4.4 x 1.6 cm) |
| Credit Line | Gift of Thomas T. Solley, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 87.5 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
The brooch is made in the form of an eagle. It's beaked head turned to the left; ottherwise the design is largely symmetrical. Linear designs in low relief decorate all areas and a central oval has a small raised knob.
In the Migration period, so-named because of the rapid movement of nomadic groups from northern Europe and central Asia into the western part of the Roman Empire, stylized animals are a standard motif. Images similar to the eagle on this lovely brooch appear as far north as Sweden and England. The Visigoths were a nomadic branch of the Goth group of Germanic peoples who eventually established kingdoms in Gaul and Spain.
1987, Gift to the Indiana University Art Museum from Thomas T. Solley
1987, Thomas T. Solley purchase from Michael Ward, Inc., New York, NY
?–1987, with Michael Ward, Inc., New York, NY [1]
Notes:
[1] Michael L. Ward (b. 1943) was an antiquities dealer, maintaining a gallery in New York (NY) from 1982 to 2010.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Eagle Brooch | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=87.5