Getty Museum

Catchplate Fibula

Date

late 8th–early 7th century B.C.

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Greek

Department

Jewelry

Institution

Getty Museum

Bronze fibula with an elaborately fashioned catchplate and bow. Both sides of the catchplate are incised. The exterior panel has alternating bands of double circles with central dots, semicircles offset to form an undulating double line, and parallel lines with cross-hatching between. The exterior panel is framed by two bands of dotted semicircles separated by a double-line meander. The frame for the panel on the interior is the same, but the panel decoration is figural, with three fish whose bodies, including the four fins, are formed with double lines. A diamond with a line extending to the tip of the mouth marks the head; the bodies are decorated with four lines to represent the gills, and four pairs of short hatched lines indicate the fishes' scales. The faceted pin ends are decorated with three biconical beads separated by ribs. In the corner closest to the pin attachment is a stylized sun.

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