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Description: | An incomplete cast copper-alloy Great Square-Headed brooch of Early-Medieval/Anglo-Saxon date. It is missing one corner of the headplate, the foot and the pin due to old breaks. The headplate is flat, rectangular in form with slightly concave edges. On the back face is an integrally cast double pierced lug that preserves the corroded remains of an iron pin. The front face of the headplate has multiple decorative motifs. These comprise a central rectangular panel that has raised rectangular borders on its upper edge and slong both sides, each decorated with multiple punched annulets. Within these outer borders is chip carved decoration formed from double inner border with curved lower edge where the headplate and bow meet, within which are symmetrical zoomorphic elements consisting of two limbs/legs and groups of three rectangular body(?) components. At each upper corner of the headplate are L-shaped silver appliques. Single bands of punched annulets run along all exterior edges of the headplate, in addition to a horizontal band of annulets connecting the lower edges of each applique, and two vertical bands running from the inner edges of the applique, down the side of the central panel to the base of the headplate. The short bow is rectangular in form with domed front and concave back face. At its centre is a separately cast copper-alloy disc-shaped rivet with traces of applied silver. At the base of the bow extends the integral foot, missing its lower terminal due to old breaks. The footplate is flat, oval in form and to each side has a semi-circular lobe with traces of applied silver decoration. Between the lobes the front face has symmetrical chip carved decoration comprising two opposed double-stranded necks with beaked heads, each head decorated with multiple punched annulets. Just below the heads, at the centre of the plate, is a lozenge-shaped panel of additional chip carved decoration, perhaps multiple body parts, with a single central circular rivet hole. Punched annulets are visible on all areas of the footplate surrounding the chip carved motifs. On the back face of the foot is an integral rectangular catchplate with curved outer edge that holds in place traces of the corroded iron pin. Beneath this, and around the circular rivet hole, is a rectangular scar that indicates the brooch may have experienced repair or re-use in antiquity with the reattachment of a terminal perhaps following breakage. All areas of the front face have traces of gilding. The entire brooch measures 84.47mm in length, 53.16mm in width at headplate, 16.98mm in width at bow, 61.52mm in width at footplate, 2.23mm in thickness (at head; 8.65mm at bow), and 51.71g in weight.This is an incomplete Early-Medieval/Anglo-Saxon Great Square-Headed brooch. The decorative elements on the head, bow and foot find their closest parallels in Hines' Group XVII brooches, particularly with the opposing heads and applied dis on the bow (Hines, 1997: pp. 133-141). This suggests a probable 6th century AD date range for the current example.
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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