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Description: | A cast copper alloy gilded decorative mount or fitting. It has been suggested that the fitting dates to the 9th - 11th century and may form part of a horse harness fitting or personal decoration. It has also been suggested that the object represents the cheek and eye guard from a helmet, which may date to the late Roman period. If the later were true this object would be extremely rare. It is therefore more likely to be 9th - 11th century in date. The object is formed from a plate of copper alloy, gilded only on one surface. The plate has become bent and has folded over on itself. The shaped plate is 2.1mm thick. When flat the object would have been curved, curving upwards at the ends. The edges of the plate have been cut; the upper edge is just dished whilst the lower edge has a number of varying sized curves. At either end of the plate are two rivets. A third set can be seen directly under the bend, one of this pair is missing. These rivets stand proud of the front gilded surface (approximately 6.5mm high) and have been gilded, possibly suggesting that they are more decorative than functional. Each rivet is cone shaped and terminates with a rounded knop. In between the terminal rivet sets are two large cut holes, each about 8.5mm in diameter. The upper gilded surface is decorated by groups of raised parallel lines divided into a patchwork of geometric sections (including triangles, circles and pentagons) to fill the entire surface. The decoration has been drawn to fit around the holes and the rivets, as well as the cut features of the plate. The reverse is a mid reddish-brown colour and the surface is pitted. Some possible solder survives on the reverse.The object appears to be late early-medieval in date, but the use of raised rivets suggests a 12th or 13h century date (a period for which there are contemporary parallels using similar rivets). Kevin Leahy pers. Comm..In December 2008 the finder recovered a second piece of this artefact. See attached photographs.
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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MOUNT
Incomplete cast copper alloy mount…
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