Merovingian Gold and Garnet Fibula in the shape of a Rooster

This magnificent buckle, or fibula, in hammered and chiseled gold (utilizing the repoussé technique) is set with forty-three garnets of different shape. The object is modeled in the shape of a rooster strutting along with his head raised. The plumage of the tail, the wings, the head and the feet are rendered in a realistic fashion by incisions and light modeling. On the back, the surface of the metal was damaged; it originally would have had loops and an attached scrolled hook. This rooster appears to be a unique piece without any identical parallels. The objects that come the closest to resembling this jewel are Merovingian fibulae of the colored style: they are richly ornamented using the cloisonné technique along with green and red stones (garnets). The most well known examples are representations of eagles, although others take the form of fish, etc.

Ex- French private collection

Phoenix Ancient Art 2006 Catalogue no. 1, Geneva-New York, 2006, no. 20

PALM BEACH!, Florida, 3-12 February 2006

HUBERT J. et al., L’Europe des invasions, Paris 1967, p. 222, 226, 229.