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Description: | An incomplete cast copper alloy S-shaped belt hook or strap fitting of probable sixteenth or seventeenth century date (AD 1500 - AD 1700). Overall length 41.0mm, maximum width 19.0mm, maximum thickness 5.0mm. Overall weight 15.61g.
The identical terminals are in the form of a snake?s, or possibly, a swan?s head. The central part of the fitting, the shared gorged neck of the two heads, has moulded decoration. This decoration is in the form of a collar enclosing a series of transverse ribs. The collar is flanked on either side by ?spear-head? motifs. Moulded decoration on the remaining surfaces is in the form of small pellets which are intended to represent scales or feathers. The maximum width of the neck, close to the central moulding, is 7.0mm. It tapers towards each head to a minimum width of about 6.5mm. At one end the S-shaped hook is linked to a circular copper alloy wire ring. This free-running ring has an outer diameter of about 14.0mm and the inner diameter is about 9.0mm. It is circular in cross-section, 2.6mm in diameter.
The piece is in a stable but poor condition. A patina has not survived and the surfaces have patches of copper alloy corrosion deposits. The metal is a reddish colour. One side of the head appears to have been filed recently. | 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: | 1500
1700 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Frank Basford | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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