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Description: | An incomplete Roman copper-alloy and enamelled trumpet-headed fly/insect brooch (c. AD 100 -c. AD 200).The bow, trumpet-shaped head, pin and enamel inlay are missing. The surviving parts of the brooch, comprising the leg and foot knob, are in the form of an insect's wings and head. The wings have a maximum width of 13.7mm and are triangular in plan as if the insect, probably a fly, is in a resting pose. The bulbous foot knob represents the head. Each wing has a semi-circular recess to accommodate enamel. The straight side of the cells face outwards and the curved sides are inward facing. As viewed from the front, the right hand cell is larger than the cell at the left. The tips of the wings are missing due to breaks. Below these cells and just above the thorax, is a central cell in the shape of an inverted heart. A small piece of blue enamel survives in one of the wing cells. The thorax, separating the wings and head, is in the form of a small transverse rib. The bulbous head is tri-lobed, two of the lobes representing eyes and the third lower and central lobe acting as the front of the head and mandible. The rear of the brooch is flat, except for the complete catch-plate which is situated along the longitudinal centre-line. Along the top edge, at the centre, is an old break, where the missing bow would have joined.When complete, the shape of this brooch would have followed the usual form of the Trumpet-headed brooches with a flaring bow and a head of "trumpet" shape, probably terminating with a chain-loop. There may have been "eyes" or other decorative motifs on the sides of the flaring part of the bow. The spring mechanism for the pin at the rear of the head was probably housed within a recess and secured by two parallel lugs.Length: 20.3mm; width: 13.7mm; thickness: 1.6mm; thickness including catch-plate: 6.6mm. Weight: 1.37g.Hattatt has published a number of trumpet-headed "Fly" brooches (Hattatt 1982: 112, fig. 48a, ref. 88a; Hattatt 1985: 117, fig. 48, refs: 459 and 460; Hattatt 1987: 141, fig. 46, refs: 974 and 975; Hattatt 1989: 90, fig. 43, ref: 1536). A further example in the Richborough Collection has been published by Bayley and Butcher 2004: 170, ref: T168.Similar brooches have been recorded on The Portable Antiquities Scheme database. See examples: BUC-4B4741; DENO-E27B91; DOR-E65973; DOR-E8CD92; DUR-3D4B05; ESS-F48852; FAKL-4434B4; HAMP-6140F1; IOW-135024; IOW-8723E4; IOW-ECE7B4; LIN-10ED25; LIN-5E2B37; LIN-5E5C67; LEIC-BAA746; LON-829302; NLM190; SF-1A7FF8; SUR-DB4CD7; SWYOR-769351 and WILT-CDD4F1.Hattatt, R. 1982. Ancient and Romano-British Brooches. Dorset Publishing. Dorset.Hattatt, R. 1985. Iron Age and Roman Brooches. Oxford: Oxbow Books.Hattatt, R. 1987. Brooches of Antiquity. Oxford.Hattatt, R. 1989. Ancient Brooches and Other Artefacts. Oxford: Oxbow Books.Bayley, J. and Butcher, S. 2004. Roman Brooches in Britain: A Technological and Typological Study based on the Richborough Collection. Society of Antiquaries.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/ | Go to resource |
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