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Description: | A corroded and incomplete late early-medieval cast copper-alloy harness link (11th century AD). The object consists of a central plate, semi-circular in cross-section, with a flat reverse. Central on this is a moulded boss extending either side of the plate. The boss is 14.77m in length. It represents a face, although whether it was intended to be anthropomorphic or zoomorphic is difficult to tell due to the wear and corrosion suffered by the artefact. Just protruding above the plate are a pair of semi-circular ears. Below the plate are the cheeks and chin (or snout). The nose is moulded and the eyes and ?nostrils (or mouth) are punched circles. The boss is slightly hollow on the reverse surface. The plate terminates at one end in a loop of which only vestiges remain; it has broken before the loop at the other end. The object is a red-brown colour with traces of light green corrosion product and areas of a more orange colour closer to the metal's original surface. A similar harness link can be found illustrated in Williams (2007, 5; fig. 6b); cf. also SOMDOR-E14156 on this database. The face on the published example is seemingly anthropomorphic.
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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