Creative Commons License
Pin with Chain
This silver pin with its polyhedral-shaped head, slip-knot ring, and attached chain is a unique find from Ireland. Another pin was originally attached to the now empty ring on the other end of the chain to form a pair of pins. Paired and chain-linked pins were made in Scandinavia and have been found in Swedish Viking burials. This pin came from an Irish crannog (lake-dwelling) of a regional Irish king. It was imported to Ireland through trade, marriage, or raiding (Lagore Crannog was burned by Norse Viking settlers from Dublin in 935) and shows the contact between the Irish and Scandinavian peoples in Ireland at this time.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
[Found in Dunshaughlin Crannog, Co. Meath, Ireland, in 1867]; Robert Day, Cork [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale, Sotheby's, London, May 19-22, 1913, no. 458; William Randolf Hearst, California; Joseph Brummer, Paris; Joseph Brummer Sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, May 11-14, 1949, no. 276; Walters Art Museum, 1949, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 1979-1980 | Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 6/20/1960 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 8/6/1979 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 8/7/1979 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
Geographies
Sweden, Scandinavia
(Place of Origin)
Ireland (Dunshaughlin Crannog) (Place of Discovery)
Measurements
3 5/16 x 3/8 x 5/16 in. (8.5 x 1 x 0.8 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 1949
Location in Museum
Centre Street: Third Floor: Migration and Early Medieval Art
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
57.1831