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Description: | Gilded copper-alloy catch-piece from a wrist-clasp of Hines's Form C1, now slightly bent. As with all C1 clasps, there is chip-carved relief decoration mainly consisting of an animal head at either end of the front edge with the long curving necks meeting in the centre. Each animal head has a round eye and a bird-of-prey-type beak curving right round to form a perforation. On top of the eye and the beak, forming either end of the catch-piece, are two squarish panels with a pointed element, perhaps an ear or a horn, behind; this forms the rear corner. Behind the headframe, the start of the neck has transverse ribbing. Where the two necks meet is a large raised flat-topped disc. In front of this are two grooved circles, one above the other, forming possible eyes; then in front of this again is a flattened rectangle pierced to form the loop. Behind and on either side of the large disc are single sewing holes. This is a rather unusual C1 clasp, but there is a good local parallel at West Stow (Hines 1993, p. 69, fig. 134b). Early Anglo-Saxon, 6th century.
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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