Image

Previous image 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 / 15 Next image

Unknown Maker, Etruscan

Pin (fibula)

Description

Maker

Unknown Maker, Etruscan

Culture

Etruscan

Title

Pin (fibula)

Period

Orientalizing period

Year

700-600 BCE

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

gold

Geography

Archaeological Site: possibly; Archaeological Site: Vetulonia

Dimensions

Length: 9.8 cm (3 7/8 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

30.051

Type

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries
Sep 22, 2010

Label copy

This pin (fibula), used for closing or securing garments, is a masterpiece of ancient gold-working. Tiny animals and figures, mythical and real, cover the pin. They were formed using tiny beads of gold (a process called granulation) fashioned in a fluid, curving style reminiscent of pottery of the 7th century BCE, when the Etruscans reached the height of their technical virtuosity in granulation. In the center of the decoration is a figure common in Etruscan art: the master of the beasts, a winged man with two faces. The figure originated in the Near East and became especially prominent in Etruscan art during this period.

Related Publications

Related Publications

  • Digital Publication

Teaching Notes / Think Like an Archaeologist

Use & Feedback

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Etruscan
Pin (fibula), 700-600 BCE
Gold
Length: 9.8 cm (3 7/8 inches)
Museum Appropriation Fund 30.051

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.