|
Date: |
|
Description: | Domed circular openwork object, made from copper alloy but with evidence of iron fixings. Now a little crushed, it was originally about 76 mm in diameter with a flat centre about 15 mm above the rim. The flat top has a central rivet hole about 6 mm in diameter, with the remains of an iron rivet. From this extend six flat radiating bars. Three run down to the rim, tapering and then flaring again to accommodate a rivet hole (c. 5 mm diameter) just within the rim. Two of the three rivet holes have a patch of iron corrosion around them which has a noticeably straight edge halfway up the bar. Alternating with these flat riveted bars are bars with elaborate moulded decoration. Each one has a short flat part, then a high-relief cat-like animal head with triangular ears, a wide face and slanting oval eyes. Below each head the bars continue down to the rim, strongly flaring and decorated with a grooved border and two short parallel grooves running down the centre. Two of these pairs of short parallel grooves have other cut marks across them. These flared areas may be the animals' bodies, or may be the stems of plants. From each side of the animals' heads a narrow curved bar projects, ending in a raised pellet. A strut runs down from each of these curved bars to curl into the rim, where each one ends in a slightly smaller pellet. These narrow curling stems and pellets are probably to be interpreted as the stems and leaves of a plant, perhaps branching off from a main stem represented by the flaring engraved area. The pelleted ends of the curling stems meet the base of the flaring area. The rim is fairly narrow (about 3 mm wide and 2 mm thick) for most of its circumference, but thickens externally at its junction with the flared bodies with a short rectangular projection below the centre of each body. The rim is either worn or slightly squashed in places, notably to either side of each undecorated radiating bar. A drawing of this object has been examined by Leslie Webster (British Museum), John Cherry (British Museum) and James Graham-Campbell (University College London). They agree that the animal heads and plant decoration have affinities with those on some types of stirrup-strap mount, and indicate a date in the first half of the 11th century. The function is less certain, as it appears to have been a component of a composite object, with either iron components or iron rivets. The fact that it is convex, with a large rivet in the centre and a blank area around, suggest that it could have been the base of something like a candlestick. Although it is rather flimsier than known Ottonian candlesticks, the three smaller lateral rivet holes may have been to fasten it to a separate flat metal base, to give a more stable base. Alternatively it is possible that it could have been mounted vertically, and the central rivet could have served to attach a door ring or knocker. No close parallels have been found for this object, however, which remains a very interesting and unusual find indeed. | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Geake, Helen - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
|
More Like this...
-
-
-
HOARD
Hoard of 23 coins, four…
-
-
-
-
-
MOUNT
Near complete copper-alloy openwork zoomorphic…
-
MOUNT
An elaborate, enamelled copper-alloy object…
-
|