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Description: | An incomplete cast copper-alloy Early-Medieval stirrup-strap mount of Williams' Class A Type 1. The apex and the upper left hand corner of the mount are all missing due to old breaks. It is flat, the lower half of the object being rectangular in form, the sides curving around to the now incomplete apex to give the entire object an almost tongue-shaped plan. The base of the plate is folded backwards to an angle of 45 degrees thus creating a short integral flange. Two evenly spaced circular rivet holes are visible at the base of the front face with the remains of two incomplete central rivet holes, one above the other, at the top of the plate perhaps indicating the stirrup may have suffered damage during use and was subsequently adapted for later re-use. To either side of the stirrup are projecting lobes, two surviving to the right but only the lower of the two on the left, the corresponding second lobe now missing due to old breaks.The front face of the stirrup has incised stylised decoration. This comprises an incised border that runs from the bottom corners on each side around the outer edge of the plate. Due to the preservation of the object it is uncertain whether this continues along the base of the stirrup. In each bottom corner between the rivet holes and corners themselves are two parallel curving lines that run from the sides to the base of the stirrup. The lower half of the front face has no further decoration, but the upper half above the lower of the projecting lobes has stylised and symmetrical zoomorphic decoration. This is probably intended to represent two entwined beasts with heads positioned at the edge of the plate and facing downwards. At the centre of the visible decoration double incised lines create a Y-shaped motif whose base joins a curving transverse band. To either side this curving band is transected by a larger curved band that runs from near the upper edge of the stirrup inwards and downwards before rejoining the side of the stirrup just above the lower of the two lobes. This creates two opposing semi-circular panels on either side of the stirrup, one of which is mostly missing due to old breaks. Within the surviving semi-circular panel can be seen what appears to be a very stylised head with small incised semi-circular eye pendant from the incised border. In the less stylised early examples of this group of stirrup mounts the projecting lobes represent the ears and snout of the depicted beasts, and it is probable that the lobes perform a similar function in the current example but in much more stylised form.The back face of the stirrup is flat and undecorated. The entire object is very worn and abraded, measuring 48.35mm in length, 41.29mm in width, 2.68mm in thickness, and 22.49g in weight.The form and incised decoration on this object indicate that it belongs to Williams' Class A Type 1 Anglo-Saxon stirrup mounts (Williams, 1997: Figs. 20-23). Williams notes that this group of stirrup mounts are distinctive in that they have incised rather than moulded decoration, and that the decorative motifs are unique to each example, some of which appear very debased in form and with examples that have had replacement holes drilled below the original suspension loop (Williams, 1997: 26-28). This indicates a date in the 11th century AD for the current stirrup mount.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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