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Description: | An incomplete copper-alloy hanging bowl escutcheon, dating from the Early-Medieval period. The escutcheon consists of a broadly flat, sub-oval body, which is broken at the base, with an integral hook at the apex at the front of the oval. The hook expands in diameter at the terminal to form an animals head - possibly a bird - with recessed sub-circular eyes and a beak or snout which gently narrows towards its centre and has a curved terminal. The hook is sub-circular in section, whereas the beak has a D-shaped section. The beak or snout is bent downwards, but parallels indicate that this would have been broadly horizontal (e.g. see the similar escutcheon from the Anglo-Saxon grave from St Paul-in-the-Bail, Lincoln (Gilmour, 1979, figure 2c)).The front of the body of the escutcheon has recessed cells with traces of champleve red enamel visible. The cells are predominantly straight sided within curved edges at the perimeters of the design. At the top of the front of the body, a pointed oval area surrounding the base of the hook is not recessed or enamelled. The reverse of the escutcheon is undecorated.The escutcheon is 45.1 mm from the top of the hook to the broken base, and a maximum of 25.8mm wide. It weighs 15.17g. The escutcheon has a green patina, with areas showing distinct red and bright green corrosion products. The escutcheon is broken at the base and there is a tear running down the lower half of the body, particularly noticeable on the reverse. Brenan (1991, p.1) explains that: "The term "hanging bowl" has been used to describe a hemispherical vessel of spun bronze with escutcheons. Many have distinctive rims consisting of a deep groove below a thickened curving lip or a wide fat lip... Equally spaced around the rim, and soldered (or rivetted) to the body of the bowl, are three (occasionally four) escutcheons."Brenan (1991, p1) adds that the hook found on the escutcheon, "...normally terminates in an animal or birds head, the jaws or beak resting on the rim of the bowl. An enclosed space is created by the hook and the rim of the bowl which invariably contains a suspension ring. The bases of the bowls are usually raised to create an external central circular depression. Both the internal and external base may bear circular enamelled mounts similar to the escutcheons on the sides of the bowl."Longley (1975, p16) argues that: "The hanging bowl was certainly a prestige item as its inclusion in many Anglo-Saxon graves testifies..." But Brenan points out that even a systematic study of the archaeological evidence has not produced any firm evidence suggestive of a specific function of hanging bowls (1991, p135). She does, however, note that there are foodstuffs and buckets or drinking vessels found variously with hanging bowls in burial contexts up to the early 7th century, but not beyond (1991, p134). She concludes that the earliest hanging bowls were made primarily for some practical purpose or purposes and it was only as the seventh century progressed that they acquired an association with wealth and status, and by the end of the 7th century their value in symbolising wealth and in some cases status was more important than their practical value as containers (1991, p135).Many of the excavated Early-Medieval hanging bowls from England come from burials, with the earliest examples including Chessel Down, Isle of Wight 525AD-600AD, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, c.540AD-590AD, and Sutton Hoo, prior to 650AD (see Brenan 1991, cited in Laing 1993, p21). Similar cell work to the escutcheon described in this record is found on some British metalwork of the 7th century, but is mainly a feature of Irish enamelling of the 8th century. The bowl may therefore be from the tail end of British bowl manufacture, or Irish imported (source: Susan Youngs, pers.comm.). This would date the escutcheon to 7th or 8th century AD (Source: Susan Youngs, pers.comm. and Kevin Leahy, pers.comm.)
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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