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Description: | Chunky mount, probably from a vessel, made from silvered and gilded copper alloy. It consists of a sub-rectangular plate and a hook that might have fitted over the vessel's rim; both curve down their long axis to fit around a globular vessel wall, and both combine to form a stylised animal. The plate is 20 mm wide at most, and 23 mm long. It has rounded corners and a slightly concave curve to the long sides. It is decorated with slightly angular symmetrical triple-strand interlace around four circular perforations; the two furthest away from the animal's head may have been functional rivet holes, but the two above them may have been merely decorative. A groove borders the interlace along the edge opposite the animal head. At the opposite end, the edge of the plate has two tall rounded projecting ears, and between them the hook - shaped into the animal's brow and muzzle - projects. It is trapezoidal in section, with two C-shaped grooves forming the eyes. The snout is tilted up, and a hole is transversely drilled through where open jaws might have been. On the underside of the chin is a projection which forms an angular bend to the hook; this has a hole in its inner edge as it forms an L with the underside of the head. The animal's head is silvered on its upper surfaces, and the plate is gilded; the ears appear to be gilded on their reverses but have no remaining coating on their fronts. The silvering is a shiny white and should probably be distinguished from the coating on the underside of the head, which is a grey colour and probably derives from solder used to attach the mount to the vessel. The reverse of the plate has no such solder, and is highly polished as if through wear. This little object is an enigma. The symmetrical interlace is reminiscent of Borre-style art of the tenth century, but could alternatively be early seventh century. Barry Ager at the British Museum has seen it and canvassed James Graham-Campbell's opinion; these two are happy that it is decorated in the Borre Style and therefore should be dated to the late 9th or 19th centuries (letter in SMR file). There remain no known parallels. | Subjects: | mount | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Geake, Helen - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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