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Description: | An incomplete Early Anglo-Saxon copper alloy bridle fitting, a strap-pendant mount from a horse's head-harness, dating to the early or middle part of the 6th century AD. Only the lower terminal survives; the pendant is broken across below the centre to form a triangular plate decorated with a double groove down the centre, and a single groove forming a border along either edge. These grooves retain traces of gilding. The central plate would originally have been a long oval or lozenge, as in the more complete examples from Lechlade grave 180 (Boyle et al 1998), Finglesham grave 203 (Hawkes and Grainger 2006), Ellesborough (BERK-24A3A4) and East Rudham (NMS-74E973).
At the bottom of the central plate is a slightly raised oval part decorated with a relief human mask which retains traces of gilding. The mask is in Style I, and consists of two eyes, one now bored through to create a hole, and a curving ridge over the top ending in a curl or coil to either side. This ridge could be termed a 'head-brow' and may represent hair, or a head-dress, helmet or hat. The mask is rather crudely made.
The lower part of the pendant is 'bell-shaped', with similarities to a series of 'bell-shaped' pendants thought to be from horse harness and dating from the same period (see below). The 'bell-shaped' area retains traces of a white-metal coating and has a rectangular tab projecting from the centre of its lower edge. The end of the tab is broken and has been filed so that the pendant can be re-used. To either side of the tab are circular holes filled with iron corrosion, probably from a pair of iron rivets. The rivet holes are roughly aligned along one edge.
It is common for these strap-pendant mounts, when found in graves, to have been re-used. The hole bored through the eye on this mount, plus the filing down of the rectangular tab and the two rivets in the 'bell-shaped' part, may be evidence for re-use, or alternatively for repair after the breakage of original (presumably integrally cast) rivets. The copper alloy has a mid-green patina.
Bell-shaped pendants similar to the lower end of this strap-pendant include those from Beddingham, East Sussex (SUR-6FBE75), Hollingbourne, Kent (KENT-CC59C7), Micheldever, Hampshire (HAMP3442) and Weymouth, Dorset (SOMDOR-A8DD87). | 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
560 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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