Rights Holder: North Lincolnshire Museum
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Unique ID: NLM-53E540
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Copper alloy with gilding mount fragment. Cast flat backed plate in the form of the head of a bird with curving bill, probably one of a symetrically addorsed pair, as adduced by ragged broken edges behind the body. An eye is defined naturalistically in relief, as is a nostril at the top of the beak, but the neck and upper body afford fields for curvilinear interlaced ornament, each strand of which comprises paired ridges highlighted by deeply incised (or appearing thus) gutters between them. Dr Kevin Leahy kindly identifies this piece as of Salin Style 2, and as such an indication of an aristocratic context for this piece. The relief work retains extensive gilding. A tiny lug on the back, of length c.4mm which stands proud of this flat surface by c.1mm, may either be a casting flaw or a feature which assisted fixing. The motif of a raptor could be used in martial contexts and might appear on objects such as shields. However, the small scale of this example might be more appropriate to the decoration of a book cover, as for example the Gospel of John who is traditionally represented by an eagle. The eagle motif also appears on a 7th-century brooch from the Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Castledyke, South, Barton upon Humber, North Lincolnshire (Drinkall and Foreman 1998). Suggested date: Early Medieval, 650-700.
Height: 20.5mm, Width: 19.7mm, Thickness: 2.8mm, Weight: 3.34gms.
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Middle
Period to: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Ascribed Culture:
Anglo-Saxon style
Date from: Circa AD 650
Date to: Circa AD 700
Quantity: 1
Height: 20.5 mm
Width: 19.7 mm
Thickness: 2.8 mm
Weight: 3.34 g
Date(s) of discovery: Friday 8th November 2013
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Other reference: NLM24984a
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Decoration style: Zoomorphic
Completeness: Fragment
Surface Treatment: Gilded
Grid reference source: Centred on parish
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1000 metre square.
No references cited so far.