Pin with a Dove Finial

A gold hair pin has a tapering shaft, spiralled on the upper section, and a finial of a dove seated on three spheres. A circlet of granules with a central bead form the bird’s eye and the tops of the spheres, lending them the appearance of pomegranates. Granules of gold adhere to the dove’s head and back, as well as around the upper part of the spheres. One of the spheres and the left side of the bird’s beak are dented and slightly cracked.Pins with ornamental and figural finials were used to secure a woman's coiffeur as well as to attach her dress at the shoulders. Bird-headed pins are found in all periods of Mediterranean antiquity, from the Bronze Age onward, although they are somewhat rare in Etruscan contexts.