Replica of 7th Century Merovingian Round Fibula 1931

Curator: Here we have a replica of a 7th-century Merovingian Round Fibula, its original maker remains unidentified. Editor: It's quite small, only about an inch and a quarter in diameter, yet the composition feels so balanced and full of symbolic suggestion. I'm immediately drawn to its aura of cultural exchange and adaptation. Curator: The bilateral symmetry evokes a sense of order, but the rough execution lends it an earthy, almost primal quality. The imagery of stylized figures flanking what looks like a tree definitely speaks to pre-Christian motifs finding new life within Merovingian culture. Editor: Absolutely. The figures themselves, possibly animals or human-animal hybrids, could be interpreted as guardians of the tree, a common motif in many indigenous European spiritualities that persisted even after the rise of Christianity. Curator: The 'tree' itself, with its lattice-like trunk, reminds me of earlier Celtic knotwork, carrying forward a sense of interwoven destinies, of connection. The fibula, then, serves as a potent symbol of continuity amid change. Editor: It's a quiet but powerful testament to the ways societies adapt and reinterpret older beliefs. It underscores how objects like this carry not just aesthetic value, but also narratives of cultural resilience and transformation.