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Description: | Incomplete copper alloy Anglo-Saxon mount. This mount is subcircular in plan, with a diameter of 43.06mm. It is extremely thin, measuring only 1.06mm thick and weighs 6.71g. The mount is decorated with an incised design of simple three-cornered knots, known as triquetras. The geometric nature of the pattern and the curvature of the three-cornered knots result in any number of patterns visible to the eye. A simplified way of describing the pattern is of four semicircles placed around the borders of the disc, with their domes facing towards the centre. The domes but against each other so as to form a central four armed star shape. The three-cornered knots in fill the semicircles and star shape, with an incised square at the centre of the star. Remains of gilding can be seen on the front face of the mount. To one side of the mount are two rivet holes, one with a copper alloy rivet in situ. To the other side are three rivet holes, with no rivets surviving. The middle hole is clearly bisected by a later, fourth hole, which suggests that the disc may have been repaired or remounted at some point. The reverse of the mount is plain. Chipping damages the edges of the disc, but this presumably occurred in antiquity given the even patina and smoothed edges. The patina of the object is an even mid green with a small patch of lighter green corrosion.
Given the thin nature of the object and the fact that there is no sign of mountings for a pin, this object is probably not a brooch. Though this disc is similar in nature to the joined heads of the Witham pins, there is no evidence of it being attached to a pin shaft. Therefore it is suggested as being a mount. Similar disc mounts, though with different decoration and levels of craftsmanship, can be seen in Webster and Backhouse 1991, number 185 and in West 1998, number 132.5. Following these examples, this mount is presumed to be 8th century in date. | 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: | 700
800 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Caroline McDonald | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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