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Description: | Cast copper alloy terminal or finial in the form of a beast's (dragon or serpent) head' ; behind the head the neck extends as a curving bar of metal of sub-circular section which tapers regularly towards the breakage point which indicates an oval cross section; the profiled head is finely executed with a pair of swept-back triangular ears, large bulging lentoid eyes and a large gaping mouth; between the jaws is a sub-triangular piercing, the corners of the mouth carry engraved scrolls which are also used to represent nostrils at the snout; a flat transverse section of metal which joins the jaws may represent fangs; this is a fine example of the Viking Urnes style current (in England) during the second half of the 11th century; it is impossible to associate the terminal with a specific class of object, though it was undoubtedly high status.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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