Viking Age or Medieval Bronze Clothing Clasps

Viking Age or Medieval Period, c. 793–1400 AD, Europe

A beautiful collection of three small cast bronze clothing clasps, each finely shaped and evocative of the craftsmanship of early European metalworkers. These functional ornaments once served to fasten garments, combining practicality with subtle aesthetic appeal.

The Viking Age (c. 793–1066 AD) marked a period of expansive maritime exploration, trade, and conquest throughout Europe and beyond, while the broader Medieval period (c. 476–1400 AD) witnessed immense political transformation, social stratification, and artistic evolution across the continent.

During these centuries, both Viking and Medieval dress reflected social status, region, and wealth. Viking men typically wore wool or linen trousers and tunics, while women donned long shifts with suspended overdresses, often secured with brooches, pins, or clasps such as these. Clothing was woven primarily from locally sourced materials—wool, flax, hemp, and nettle—and was complemented by adornments in bronze, silver, or gold.

Clasps and brooches like these were not only utilitarian, fastening cloaks or tunics securely against the elements, but also conveyed the wearer’s identity and craftsmanship of their community. These examples, with their aged patina and compact elegance, embody the enduring legacy of Viking and Medieval artisanship across early Europe.

Excellent condition. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age and use, otherwise intact. Fine encrusted green patina. Size varies from 2,8cm to 2,7cm. Sell as a set.

Provenance: Dutch private collection.

References and further reading:

Clothing in the Viking Age, Hurstwic, William R. Shor, 1999-2023 (https://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/clothing.htm)

Tracing Textile Production from the Viking Age to the Middle Ages: Tools, Textiles, Texts and Contexts, Ingvild Øye, Oxbow Books, 2022. (https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2mm1xqj.)

Textiles in a Viking Age hoard: Identifying ephemeral traces of textiles in metal corrosion products, Mary Davis & Susanna Harris, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 48, 2023. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103796.)

Viking and Early Middle Ages Northern Scandinavian Textiles Proven to be made with Hemp, G. Skoglund, M. Nockert & B. Holst, Sci Rep 3, 2686 (2013). (https://doi.org/10.1038/srep02686)