Marina Bardash Nebro
Professor William Clark
May 13, 2014
Art History 212 – Term Paper
The Bird of Prey brooch at the Metropolitan Museum of Art allegedly dates
back to the late 500s and is described as being a copper alloy, Vendel piece.
Measuring about two inches in width, one inch in height, and almost half an inch in
thickness, the fibulae is quite small. Size, however, doesn’t diminish the spectacular
detail exhibited on its surface. The bird’s form is exaggeratedly twisted, its head and
beak coming into contact with its sharp talons. While the head, neck, torso, and legs
are displayed in profile, the bird’s tail is displayed frontally. The curled wing shape,
beginning at the bird’s shoulder and terminating at the tip of its tail, accentuates the
s-curved figure. Further accentuating the bird’s shape is the imitation beading
around the edges of the brooch as well as along the outlines of its various body
parts. The tail is textured with what can be described as Y-shaped imprints,1 though
other sources claim that the shape represents crawfish.2 In order to validate the
Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Vendel claims, it is necessary to compare the Bird of
Prey brooch to similar objects of the time, both in subject matter and form.
Though birds and various other winged creatures are a very popular motif in
early forms of art ranging from Asia and the Middle East, all the way to Europe, the
symbol has many different meanings. For example, there are many depictions of
birds in the East, but they symbolize the sun, as birds are able to soar close to the
heavens.3 In other regions, birds of prey are prized for their hunting ability. In
Brown, Katharine Reynolds, and N.Y. York. From Attila to Charlemagne: arts of the
early medieval period in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Metropolitan
Museum of Art ;, 2000. 310. Print.
2 Wixom, William D., and N.Y. York. Mirror of the medieval world. New York:
Metropolitan Museum of Art :, 1999. Print.
3 Baltimore, Md., and Marvin C. Ross. Arts of the migration period in the Walters Art
Gallery,. : , 1961. Print.
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Marina Bardash Nebro
Professor William Clark
May 13, 2014
Art History 212 – Term Paper
Celtic art, water birds are commonly depicted as a symbol of life and renewal. It is
important to postulate the possible meaning of the Bird of Prey brooch in order to
correctly pinpoint its geographic point of origin. One source proposes that the bird
“should be interpreted as a cock in the position of copulation,” though also states
“most scholars… identify the bird as a symbol of Odin, the supreme [GermanicNorse] god of war and battle.” It is more probable that the latter assumption is
accurate, due to the fact that the god Odin is known for sometimes taking the form
of a bird of prey.4 Hypothesizing, however, doesn’t come up with a definite answer
to the question of what the symbol of the bird means in this particular instance. It is
the form of the brooch that will enlighten the viewer of its meaning.
Claiming that a brooch is the symbol of one of the most powerful Norse gods
is quite bold without any concrete evidence, but in the case of the Bird of Prey
brooch, there are formal elements that hint at this meaning. Where the bird’s wing
meets its shoulder, the punched beading creates a circular form. What has been
referred to above as “imitation beading” or “punched beading” may actually be chipcarving, a technique used on the Scandinavian Peninsula dating back to at least the
5th century.5 The circle sits in a central position, both horizontally between the neck
and tail, as well as vertically between the back and the belly. The location of this
circle resembles “a Style I eye, which… might indicate the presence of the god
[Odin].”6 The motif of a peering, god-like eye has been discovered on other similar
artifacts. The Sutton Hoo shield is a perfect comparison. The protective piece
Brown, Katharine Reynolds.
Baltimore, Md.
6 Brown, Katharine Reynolds.
4
5
Marina Bardash Nebro
Professor William Clark
May 13, 2014
Art History 212 – Term Paper
features a similar bird of prey figure. The symbol of the god is depicted on its thigh
in an even more lucid manner, as a face replaces the abstract circle found on the
Met’s brooch. Though Sutton Hoo is defined as an Anglo-Saxon burial site, as
opposed to Vendel, there are many close relations between the two styles.
Although similar to the pieces found at the Sutton Hoo burial site, the Bird of
Prey brooch has several key elements that differentiate it from jewelry found in
England and pinpoint its location of origin to Scandinavia. Most brooches found in
neighboring areas, especially the British Isles, are flat, circular, and though they
sometimes feature animal motifs, very often display purely geometric ornament.
For this reason alone, it can be highly inferred that the Bird of Prey brooch is not
Anglo-Saxon. In addition, Scandinavian brooches are known to have a convex shape
while, as mentioned earlier, Anglo-Saxon jewelry is flat. The brooch being examined
here is a perfect example of such convexity, protruding out almost half an inch in
thickness.7
Distinguishing between Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian, particularly Vendel,
art can be extremely difficult and tricky, making it all the more important to find
other comparable material from the Scandinavian Peninsula. The Bird of Prey
brooch has been likened to “saddle mounts from Vallstenarum… in the Vendel
Style,”8 and also been compared to a pair of eagles found in Gotland, Sweden.9
Known as “Odin’s Birds,” these mounts resemble the Metropolitan’s Bird of Prey
brooch with their curled beaks, profiled body, frontal tail, and curved torso. They
Kershaw, Jane. Viking identities: Scandinavian jewellery in England. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2013. 20-30. Print.
8 Wixom, William D.
9 Brown, Katharine Reynolds.
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Marina Bardash Nebro
Professor William Clark
May 13, 2014
Art History 212 – Term Paper
also feature a similar eye at the top of their thighs, again, representing the Norse
god.
In conclusion, the Bird of Prey brooch at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
seems to be correctly labeled as a Vendel relic. It follows contemporary
Scandinavian iconography of the Norse god, Odin, as it features the god’s presence
through an abstract eye. To formalistic style elements of a twisted animal figure is
common to the region as well, and differentiates it from the Eastern artistic
tradition. The technical features of the brooch distinguish it from being AngloSaxon, as the body of the brooch is convex and in the shape of an animal, rather than
a disc.