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Description: | An incomplete Roman copper alloy gilded oval brooch. In plan, the brooch is oval. On the front of the brooch there are two concentric ribs of decreasing diameter, and a raised border around the circumference. The inner rib stands in clear relief when the brooch is viewed in profile. The zone within the inner rib is recessed below the two zones between the outermost ribs.
The front of the brooch excluding the inner zone is gilded, and the gilding is largely intact, other than some small losses on the edges and sides of the brooch. The outer two zones on the front of the brooch are decorated with a repeated SSS punched design. The central boss/inner zone has a pitted green surface. The reverse of the brooch features an incomplete catchplate, with the pin rest missing. There is also a lug through which a corroded iron axis bar runs, securing the copper alloy spring. The pin is missing. The catchplate, and the lug and spring are situated at either end of the longer axis of the brooch. The reverse of the brooch has a largely complete white metal coating, with some small patches of green corrosion products visible. There are some fine grooves running down the brooch, particularly at either side of the catchplate. There are similar but transverse fine grooves between the catchplate and the lug and spring. The white metal coating covers these finishing marks.
The brooch is 37.2mm long, 29.7mm wide, and 5.4mm thick excluding the catchplate and lung and spring. These are maximum dimensions. The brooch weighs 16.80g. The brooch is in exceptionally fine condition, with little evidence of corrosion other than within the central boss, and the gilding and white metal coatings almost complete.
This is a gilded oval brooch, and the central boss is likely to have held a coloured glass setting. Infact, the finder reported that the setting from the central boss did become detached, but this was unfortunately lost. The type is discussed by Bayley & Butcher, 2004, in ??Roman Brooches in Britain: A Technological and Typological Study based on the Richborough Collection?? pp 178-9). Bayley & Butcher date this type of brooch to the third if not the fourth century, and probably manufactured in Britain since few are known from the Continent (Ibid.). In her ??Brooch Timeline??, Worrel dates the similar gilded disc type to AD 200 to AD350. Bayley and Butcher also state that the use of mercury gilding necessitated the low-lead alloys on these brooches. It is likely that this brooch dates from circa AD200 to circa AD 350. | Subjects: | Gilded Oval | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Slarke, Duncan - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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