Roman Bronze Hexagonal Millefiori Brooch 2nd Century AD

Description

Material: Bronze with millefiori enamelling

Period: Roman imperial

Date: c2nd century AD

Origin: Roman provinces. possibly Romano-British or Gaul. from an old British collection.

Condition: VF+. with enamelling and good detail and colour. Rare.

Description: An exquisite bronze hexagonal plate brooch with millefiori decoration. There are each flat face of the hexagon with a central round and six peripheral rounds. The pin is missing which is a common issue where the pin was made from a ferrous metal that degraded first. A lovely unusual piece.

Size and Weight: 35mm. 6.8g 

References: R. Hattatt’s Ancient Brooches. p356 illustration 599 for type. this is a much larger version.

Features and Provenance: Brooches as clothes fasteners have been made since the bronze age. As skills and metallurgy advanced. so did the size and detail of the fibulae; they were still used by the Romans as buttons had yet to be invented. The brooch was probably decorative rather than functional. but may have been used at the shoulder to fasten Roman ladies tunics called the chiton or peplos. 

Condition Summary. This varies with the age of the artefact and there are grades between

Extremely Fine (EF). Very slight traces of wear. all parts of pattern etc present. visible and clear

Very Fine (VF). Some signs of wear on the higher parts of the relief. all parts of pattern etc present. but may be worn

Fine (F). Wear on the artefact and parts of item and pattern etc may be missing or not visible