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Description: | Description: An early Anglo Saxon silver pyramidal scabbard fitting dating to the early 7th century. The mount is hollow with a bar for attachment across the reverse. Each of the four sides bears the same decoration. The decoration comprises three triangular recesses aligned along the bottom edge and one opposing recess aligned along the top edge; all these recesses are gilded. The triangular recesses create two lozengiform fields on each face, each subdivided roughly in half by an irregular zigzag line. Each half of the lozengiform fields is red in colour, apparently from inlaid red glass or enamel (but see below). At the top of the mount is a square hole which probably originally contained an inlay, but any trace of it is now missing.Dimensions: length: 14.05mm; width: 13.96mm; thickness: 5.75mm; weight: 2.11g.Analysis: Non-destructive X-ray fluorescence analysis of the surface indicated a silver content of 94%, the rest being copper. The decorative recesses are mercury gilded and the dark lines in relief, imitating the outline of cells for inlays, are filled with a silver/copper/sulphide niello. There are no inlays other than niello, though the cavity at the top of the pyramid probably once held an inlay. The reddish surface deposit is iron corrosion, which covers the outer surface of the mount including the gilding and niello. (Susan La Niece Antony Simpson Department of Conservation, Documentation and Science British Museum File No. 7369-41, 7th September 2006).Discussion: It is similar to an example found in Headbourne Worthy, Hampshire (2003T335; TAR 2003:84, no.116). Pyramidal fittings were used on straps that held a scabbarded sword to the sword belt.Date: In England sword pyramids occur from the early seventh century onwards. Relatively low square-based pyramids such as this one belong to the first half of the century, c. 600-c. 650.
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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