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Description: | Gilded copper-alloy mount, decorated with interlace. Although very corroded, it appears to be complete, except for one broken lug on the reverse; it consists of two main lobes. The larger is rectangular, with a D-shaped projection in the middle of each short edge. Each projection is decorated with a central pellet, and the rectangular lobe is decorated with a bold ridged border around a bold ridged lozenge. Within the lozengiform and triangular fields thus created is well-designed symmetrical interlace. This lobe curves slightly along its long axis so that the decoration is on the convex face. The second lobe appears to be flat; it projects from one long edge of the rectangular lobe. It is formed by a bold ridge in the shape of a Staffordshire knot, with the ends projecting slightly beyond the edge. The three sub-triangular fields thus created are again filled with well-made interlace. The gilding survives only on the interlace, which is lower than the ridged borders and thus protected. On the reverse of the rectangular lobe are two long lugs with rounded pierced ends, one of which is broken through the perforation; the lugs are 14 mm apart. Overall, this mount is very chunky; it measures 34.5 x 36 mm, and the ridged borders are 4 mm thick. The lugs were designed to fit through something (perhaps leather) 5 mm thick, and increase the thickness to 13 mm. It weighs 20.48g. In contrast, the interlace is quite fine and delicately made. The interlace should date this object to the 8th century AD.
Susan Youngs has commented that mounts with this type of decoration and pierced lugs for attachment belong to a group which is culturally Irish. They were mounted onto both wood and leather, and may either be harness mounts, or mounts from shrines, caskets and so on. A parallel on the database is from Sharnford, Leicestershire (LEIC-09D1C8) and others are known widely distributed across Britain, probably as the result of Viking activity. This type of metalwork also provided the decorative elements set into the top of Viking-age lead weights. She has also suggested that the dating may continue well into the 9th century (Youngs 2001). | Format: | text/html | License: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ | Publisher: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Rights holder: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Subjects: | archaeology | Temporal: | 720
850 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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