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Description: | Cast circular copper alloy escutcheon from a hanging bowl of sixth- or seventh-century date. The disc, which is convex on the ornamented face, is 50mm in diameter and 2mm in thickness, but domed or dished to an overall depth of 6.5mm. The central underside shows a scar of corrosion product apparently corresponding to a solder by which it was attached to the underside of the vessel. The upper side is cast in relief showing recessed fields around a pattern reserved in bronze, the fields still being partly filled with enamel in which a red colour is still visible. The design consists of a central circle enclosing a concave-sided lozenge, it's points extending to meet the circle. This arrangement of fields can be compared to the central five zones of the Fuller Brooch (9th century), for instance, or the small enamelled disc escutcheon from Banstead Down, Surrey (Brenan 1991, p. 173). Around this central circle is a six-armed rosette formed of interlocked mushroom or half-pelta shapes facing alternately inward and outward. Around the outside of this large motif is a border of irregular beading, shown raised but with enamel partly surrounding the raised elements. All the enamels are red. A small hole 2mm across has been made near one edge of the disc showing that it has been re-used in antiquity: the metal of the back shows the pushing-out of the metal around the hole and is heavily patinated. The pattern of reversing mushroom or pelta elements is paralleled on the basal escutcheon of the bowl from Barlaston (Staffs), in which a 'running' effect is achieved between these details or motif elements by a curvilinear element. The Barlaston escutcheons were attached by solder, as suggested for this Bentley piece. Although very unlike the hook-escutcheons of Barlaston, it is worth noting (a) that the Bentley escutcheon has an identical diameter to them (fitting exactly over the drawing on Brenan 1991 p.176 when placed on it), and (b) that these Barlaston hook-escutcheons are among the rare examples to use millefiori glass in champleve technique with enamel, as at Sutton Hoo some ten miles from Bentley. There seems some possibility that the Bentley item and the annular basal escutcheon from Barlaston might be considered products of a single maker or at least a shared design principle. | 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: | 500
720 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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