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Description: | A copper alloy possible pin of Early Medieval date. The object is anthropomorphic, being moulded in the form of a human male head, and inverted piriform in plan. The pointed end at the chin of the face is a patinated break. The object has a flat back and a moulded, three-dimensional front. It appears to be solid.The moulded head is smaller than the integral flat back of the object, so there is a flat narrow projecting rim round the edge of the object. The edge of this is chipped in places. Kevin Leahy interprets this (from images) as un untrimmed casting flash, and suggests that the object is unfinished. The top of the head is at the larger, rounded end. Hair is moulded in wave lines radiating from the crown of the head which is a slightly raised flat sub-circular plate. The forehead is corroded, making the details there difficult to see. V shaped notches can be interpreted as the eyes, and these flank a broad, triangular, fairly flat nose. Incised lines define the rounded cheeks. Below the nose, three incised transverse lines probably represent the mouth, and below this, a forward sloping triangular flat area seems to be the chin. A curved moulding lower still could represent a beard which then reduces slightly in thickness, but extends into the shaft. The side flanges (or casting flash) appear to have continued along the sides of the shaft, but the break means only the top 5mm of the shaft survives. The moulded recesses are quite deep, but there is no evidence of any inlay or material other than copper alloy. Corrosion has affected the face, causing some pitting, and also some areas have a thicker green patina than other areas which are darker and smoother. The object has been treated (possibly with wax) post-recovery, giving it a glossy sheen. The reverse is also corroded and has a slightly yellower colour. The surviving object is 32.9mm long, 17mm wide and 9.5mm thick. 11.35g. The flange is about 2.5mm wide. The seemingly undecorated part of the shaft is 2.8mm thick and 6.2mm wide, including the flanges, which are damaged in this area. The shaft without the flanges is 3.9mm wide.It is not clear what object this fragment is from, but Kevin Leahy has suggested it could be a pin head. It has not beem recorded as a mount since there is no evidence of attachment, but it could have been soldered to a larger object. The shape is similar to some aestels such as SWYOR-69C958 (9th century) and of course, the Alfred Jewel. There are also some anthropomorphic mounts dating form the 5th and 6th centuries which show male heads (details given in the record for LIN-D2AE90 which is also one), though these tend to have straight hair combed straight back. A broad Early Medieval date is therefore suggested for this artefact. Kevin Leahy comments that the photos remind him of the pin from Grave 161 at the Buckland, Dover, Anglo-Saxon cemetery (Evison, 1987, p 84-5, Fig. 63) although the man's head on the Buckland pin has horns and it was socketed to fit an iron shank. In her discussion, Evison draws attention to pins from Birka.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/ | Go to resource |
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