|
Date: |
|
Description: | An incomplete copper-alloy mount. It is very corroded so it is hard to tell which edges are original and which are broken. It is roughly triangular in shape, measuring 68mm in length, and 45mm in width. It is decorated with gilded open work, which depicts a bird in profile, with a subtriangular body which appears to have concentric line decoration. Above is a single wing with lines across the angle and then down the length of it. A long tail curls back towards the body and ends in a fleur de lis, with a tendril attaching it back to the body. The head is unclear, a large decorated rivet obscures the junction between the head and neck, but possibly has an open beak holding an empty rivet hole. The large decorated rivet is decorated to resemble an animal head, showing in fact that the animal is 'mythical'- has a birds body and an animal's head, formed by the rivet, with two small ears and a muzzle, the head turns back towards the wing. The bird stands on a straight base decorated with oblique lines. At least one leg emerges from a speckled breast- a possible second leg stretches out towards a third rivet but is broken. The mount looks as if it is half or a third of a symmetrical wedge or crescent shaped whole, but what it was attached to is uncertain. The metal is corroded to a rough purple-brown. The style of animal, plus the fact that the metal has corroded to a purple colour suggest a date shortly after the Norman Conquest, c 1100-1150, it may possibly be from a head-dress or a large knife sheath. | 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: | 1100
1150 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
|
More Like this...
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
SCABBARD
An incomplete copper alloy late-Early…
-
BUCKLE
Copper-alloy rectangular buckle plate, with…
-
BUCKLE
Copper-alloy rectangular buckle plate, with…
-
|