An Anglo-Saxon Celebration of the Senses in Silver

On the upper floor of the British Museum, in a gallery containing early medieval artifacts, most visitors will congregate around the swords, helmets, drinking horns and lyres. To a few, however, another object beckons. In a smaller display case, mounted on a vertical panel, is a large, disc-shaped pin that gleams beneath a small light fixture. About 4.5 inches in diameter and slightly convex, this ninth-century accessory bears a magnificent etched design in burnished silver and niello, a black metallic substance pressed into the grooves. Originally worn at the shoulder to fasten a cloak, the Fuller Brooch (named after its 20th-century donor) is one of the best preserved examples of Anglo-Saxon metalwork and the earliest known depiction of the five senses in art.