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Description: | Unusual zoomorphic Medieval buckle, 12th century in date.It is an unusual shape, widening from the bar at the base to a rounded hollow shape at the top. It is almost a wedge shape but is rounded rather than square at the wider end. The top part is where the decoration is, with an unusual zoomorphic face.The strap bar is circular in section and has a raised section in the middle. There was probably another strap bar which ran parallel to this one which has now broken off.The decoration appears to have been cast integrally to the buckle. The opening of the buckle is meant to be the mouth, above it is a small nose and eyes. In front of the eyes is a thin band which runs all the way around the front of the buckle- it has diagonal lines as decoration. The eyes are tear drop shaped. The nose protrudes out from the front of the buckle.Between the eyes is a lozenge shape. Above the eyes is a thin band which runs from between the eyes, around and down the side of the face. The band has diagonal lines as decoration. There is a triple line which runs from the front of the head to the back, in the centre.The ears are set out from the buckle and are small, semi-circular protrusions.The surface of the buckle is uneven in colour and has some reddish corrosion on parts.This is a very unusual style of buckle and Kevin Leahy has suggested it is similar to the buckle types with deeply moulded bows.This type of buckle has been studied by A. Rogerson and S. Ashley, who have christened it the 'gaping-mouth beast' buckle. It is the subject of a forthcoming article in Medieval Archaeology (2011). The head is of Romanesque appearance and so a 12th-century date is therefore likely.
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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