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Description: | A gilded copper-alloy disc brooch with a central garnet inlay. The outer border has a raised angular 'S' pattern running around it, while the main area of the design is composed of a clockwise procession of six zoomorphs. Each of these creatures is seen in profile, and has a three-toed leg, a triple-strand body, a U-shaped headframe with a curled-back top, a dot eye, and open jaws biting the leg of the animal in front. Much of the animal decoration is obscured by an iron rust-like deposit, though where unaffected much of the original gilding survives remarkably well. In the centre is a flat garnet set in a surround made from a dull whitish material, perhaps shell; there is a transversely ribbed collar around this. On the back of the brooch, the two perforated pin lugs and the catchplate can be seen. Some active corrosion can be seen where the gilding is missing and the back has several more patches breaking through the dull green patina. The procession of interlinked profile animals is characteristic of Salin's Style II, but the way in which they are formed also has links to the preceding Style I (Speake 1980). This should date it to the years around 600 AD when Style II was replacing Style I. The brooch is unusual in its form, being unlike the contemporary Kentish disc brooches which can carry either Style I or Style II decoration (Avent 1975). Its closest parallels lie in circular mounts from horse-harness, which can often be found modified for use as brooches. In the Upper Thames region, Style II is very rare and was probably, as elsewhere in England, the art style of a small paramount social elite. The form of the Style II on this brooch would suggest it is an early form datable to the late sixth or early seventh century, while its lack of association with other contemporary brooch forms may indicate that it represents a local and unusual experiment in Style II brooch manufacture (Chris Fern and Ros Tyrrell). This brooch has been published in Fern 2006.
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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