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Description: | A corroded and incomplete hook-piece from a copper-alloy post-medieval book-clasp. It is formed of two sheet plates of copper alloy which have been held together by three rivets, two of iron and one of copper-alloy, though the two iron rivets have now corroded and caused the plates to separate slightly. This artefact is broadly sub-rectangular in shape, with a flared attachment end on the upper plate (12.8mm wide) which has been abraded, particularly to one corner of the upper sheet. The upper surface of this latter is decorated with finely incised longitudinal incisions, with additional detailing at the attachment end resembling 'feathers' or chevrons. Remnants of two highly corroded small iron rivets are visible amongst this detail, below which are three small circular perforations arranged in a triangular form. From this, the body narrows with a slight curvature over 30.35mm towards the end of the body to a width of 8.5mm. The linear decoration continues along the body of the plate with a long central incision and similar incisions at staggered intervals from the attachment end. The plate terminates in a small curved hook, with a copper-alloy rivet just below maintaining the position of the two plates together. The lower plate is slightly narrower than the upper, slightly flared at the attachment end. This artefact has corroded to a dark red-brown colour, with areas of orange-brown iron corrosion on the underside at the location of the iron rivets. The hooked end has been bent downwards as a result of old damage. Book-clasps bearing similar decorative motifs can be found illustrated in Crummy (1998, 68; e.g. ref. 2993). These examples are given a 17th-century date.
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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