Northern Europe / Central Asia, Finno-Ugric culture, ca. 5th to 11th century CE. A pair of cast bronze, penannular fibulae of interesting form. Each has twin, right-angled cast triangles, with raised, round motifs that form interior triangles, joined together by a ring projecting from their most acute end. Each triangle has three round loops, one at each corner. Each fibula has a narrow pin that wraps around the ring but can move along it freely, made to hook between the two triangles in order to fasten it in place. They come displayed together on a custom stand. Size of largest (very slightly larger than other): 1.8" W x 2.5" H (4.6 cm x 6.4 cm)

One of the brooches has a remaining decorative element looped through one of its round projections - a piece of very thin bronze wire wrapped into a spiral. This gives us an idea of what the creator meant the piece to look like. Flashing metal items and dangling chains were a common style in this period across central Asia and into northern Europe, designed to make a jangling noise and catch the eye.

The Finno-Ugric people lived in west central Siberia, from modern day Perm north to the Arctic Sea. They freely took artistic influence from those who came before them, like the Scytho-Siberians, and from colonists from the west, like the Vikings, but developed their own clear style that archaeologists know from graves scattered throughout the taiga.

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection

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#124840

Both are intact, with a pretty mottled blue-green patina. All but one attached element is missing.