100-200 AD. Roman. A bronze disk-shaped brooch comprising a central boss surrounded by a wheel design in a blue and white millefiori glass composition which creates the impression of a wheel in motion; the disk is surrounded by eight circular projections filled with green glass. The catchplate and pin are well-preserved on the reverse. Brooches were an important element of Roman dress, used to fasten clothing but they also served as dress accessories in their own right. Thousands of different types and subtypes of Roman brooches are attested, and they seem to have played an important role in Roman people’s self-expression. Millefiori (from the Italian for “a thousand flowers”) is a glass working technique which produces distinctive decorative patterns by fusing together canes in a variety of different colours to create a mosaic effect, as on this beautiful brooch. For more information on Roman Brooches see Richard Hattatt. 2000. A Visual Catalogue of Richard Hattatt's Ancient Brooches. Oxbow Books. Excellent condition.