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Description: | Copper-alloy strap-end, a rather unusual example of Thomas's Type A (the classic 9th-century Anglo-Saxon strap-end). The split end is rather long, and the reverse is missing. The end is shaped into two rounded lobes with a rivet hole in each one, and there is a narrower rounded lobe in between. From the edges of this central lobe come two vertical grooves which then curve outwards to form the trilobate motif which is standard on this type of strap-end. It is formed from an inverted Y-shape with a triangle in the angle of the Y, all outlined by grooves; the Y has a long stem and the lower end is convex. The split continues down nearly to the lower end of the trilobate motif. Below this is a U-shaped sunken panel with counter-relief animal decoration. The animal is the right way up when the strap-end is held with the split end to the left and the terminal to the right. It is in profile, with a long neck to the left ending in a head which looks back over the body. To the right is a hind leg extending from a large hip and ending in a two-toed foot; the front leg turns a right-angle and then is crossed by another element (possibly another foreleg?) before also ending in a two-toed foot. There is perhaps a short tail with a squarish detached element beneath it. Details of the head are also hard to establish; it certainly has a long ear and a round eye, and appears to have a very large pair of detached open jaws underneath the eye, with a detached element in front at which the jaws may be biting. If so, it is a rather monstrous-looking animal. In the grooves around the animal are extensive traces of a white material, which may be the cement for a niello (black silver sulphide) inlay. Below the U-shaped panel is a long and unusually narrow animal-head terminal, which begins with three transverse mouldings. The animal head itself is very simple, with two back-to-back curves forming both the bridge of the nose and the eye-frames; there are two round dot eyes but no extra details for nostrils or mouth. Overall dimensions are 37 x 12 x 3 mm. The transverse mouldings are also found on other strap-ends of 8th to 11th century date, and give no help in dating this strap-end any more precisely than to the 9th 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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