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Description: | Description: Silver knob from a radiate-headed brooch of early-medieval date. It is roughly D- or U-shaped, with a straight edge where it would have been attached to the headplate. It has cast relief Style I decoration consisting of a raised border inlaid with a longitudinal niello stripe at the attachment edge, conjoined brows also inlaid with a niello stripe, deep pointed-oval eye sockets with raised central pointed-oval pupils each of which has a tiny blind hole, and a worn pellet-like nose from which extends a median rib which divides a second pair of circular eyes or nostrils. The round eyes or nostrils also have a central circular pupil, one with a blind hole, the other inlaid with niello, with a border which curves around towards the first set of eyes and projects slightly from the edge, perhaps forming ears.The reverse is hollow and D-shaped in cross-section, with a corroded circular-sectioned copper-alloy rivet inserted into the rounded terminal and protruding slightly from the D-shaped closed attachment end. No trace of gilding survives.Dimensions: Length 17mm (excluding rivet), 18mm (including rivet). Width 13mm. Depth 8mm. Weight 4.0g.Discussion and Date: The decoration is very similar in style to an example recorded from the Kilham area, Yorkshire (YORYM-EC2251). Another with niello stripes, recorded before the start of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, came from Beachamwell in Norfolk (Ashley et al. 1990, no. 3).Other examples of animal-head knobs from radiate-headed brooches recorded on the PAS database include NMS-013F85 (near Hunstanton), with smaller nostrils, and NLM-399C73 (Middle Rasen, now BM 2013,8023.1) with possible tusks, perhaps indicating that the animal is a boar. The means of attachment vary; YORYM-EC2251 has an integrally cast silver rivet, NMS-013F85 and the Beachamwell example have perforations for a separate rivet, and NLM-399C73 has the remains of an iron rivet.These knobs are becoming more common in England but they derive from what is apparently a Lombardic tradition. Examples in the British Museum include one from Tuscany (1851,0806.10) and another from Sutri (1887,0108.5). Also compare the similar animal-headed knobs riveted round the curved bars fixed to the headplates of brooches from Cividale (Werner 1950, Taf. 5: A30-31, and 6: A32-33). Werner dates these to the beginning of the 7th century, and more recent scholarship suggests a range on the Continent of broadly c. 590-630/650.
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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