5th C. Merovingian Iron Bull Brooch w/ Enamel & Gold

Western Europe, France / Gaul, Merovingian Dynasty, ca. 5th century CE. A stunning iron brooch overlaid with a gold sheet and enamel in the form of a bull. The portrait face features horns curving upward, perked ears, wide eyes, and an elongated snout. The 80% gold foil (equivalent to 18K+) creates a rim for the red enamel that has now darkened to a nearly black hue. The verso contains a coiled spring pin and a hook clasp for an iron pin. This must have been a bold statement piece for securing clothing or a cloak as bulls signified strength and virility. Size: 1.6" L x 1.35" W (4.1 cm x 3.4 cm); quality of gold: 80% (equivalent to 18K+)

The bull was considered a deeply divine animal throughout antiquity - a meaningful symbol of the moon, fertility, rebirth, and power. We find the earliest depictions of bulls in Paleolithic cave paintings. Moreover, the veneration of the bull would influence several religious cults in antiquity: from the Minoan practice of bull-jumping in Crete, to the fervent worship of the Apis bull in Egypt, the ravishing of Europa by Zeus in bull form, to the sacrificial practices of Roman Mithraism. By the time of the Merovingian empire a mythical creature known as the "Quinotar" - a bull with five horns and a fish body - was believed to have fathered Meroveus, the founder of the Merovingian dynasty; undoubtably inspired in part by the Greek myths of the Minotaur.

Provenance: private Carmichael, California, USA collection, acquired in the 1990s

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#167443
Condition Report: Great condition. Professionally cleaned. Small losses to infill of one nostril. The pin clasp is intact and articulates, but we do not recommend moving the pin due to its brittle nature and the possibility of breaking.