The seven buttons on the headplate of this Gothic brooch served primarily as decorative elements and symbolic embellishments, as buttons were not yet known as functional fasteners during the Migration Period. They evolved from the rollers and end buttons of earlier brooch forms. Compared to other jewelry of this era, such bow brooches were usually worn in pairs on the shoulders to securely fasten garments, cloaks, or coats, while simultaneously emphasizing the wearer's social status.