Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Pin with Spiral Head
This elegantly tapering bronze pin has an unusual finial made by dividing the stem at the head and curving one stem backward into a spiral. Spiral-headed pins with two outward curling spirals have been found in Ireland and in 7th- and 8th-century Anglo-Saxon sites. This example was found at Armagh (Northern Ireland) in 1886. Armagh was an important royal site from pre-historic times into the Christian era and, from the mid-5th century AD onwards, the See of Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint.
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 Armagh, Northern Ireland, 1886]; Robert Day, Cork, Ireland [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Robert Day Sale, Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, London, May 19-22, 1913, no. 355; William Randolph Hearst, California; Joseph Brummer, Paris; Joseph Brummer Sale, Parke-Bernet, New York, May 11-14, 1949, no. 276; Walters Art Museum, 1949, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 1984-1987 | Objects of Adornment: Five Thousand Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. |
| 1987 | Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery and the Zucker Family Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1979-1980 | Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 4/19/1984 | Treatment | cleaned |
Measurements
8 15/16 x 7/16 x 1/4 in. (22.7 x 1.2 x 0.6 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.
54.2340