MOUNT

Early medieval gilded copper alloy mount fragment, with sheet silver applique and wooden 'washer'/spacer. Probably 6th century. Probably originally a cruciform mount, just the centre and one arm survives. Central lozenge shaped field, with inwardly curved sides, containing a central raised pellet, flattened on top, with grooved border around, this in turn surrounded by a beaded lozenge-shaped border with an elongated groove extending from each corner. Three of the four arms are broken off. The surviving arm is decorated with a face-mask with bulbous protruding eyes, small circular ears to the sides of the eyes, triangular nose and wide grinning mouth. At the bottom of the nose and mouth is a crescentic extension covered with a silver sheet metal applique (0.12mm thick), probably soldered on. There is an integral circular sectioned rivet (length c.4.5mm) on the reverse, set roughly half way along the surviving arm, and slightly offset towards one side. Also on the reverse, offset towards one side of the central lozenge field (a small part of one edge is just visible from the obverse), is a wooden 'washer' or spacer - a circular disc (diameter c.14.5mm, thickness c.2mm) with central circular perforation (diameter c.4mm). It may be displaced from its original position on the mount, and has been preserved through contact with corroding iron. Obverse of mount is gilded - no gilding on the reverse. Patchy light-mid green patina. Length 42.50mm, width across centre 20.83mm, width across terminal 18.12mm, thickness including rivet 7.68mm, thickness including wood 5.00mm, thickness of plate c.2.5mm, weight 4.52g. This has similarities with the foot plates of 6th century square-headed brooches - see MacGregor & Bollick 1993 ('Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections', Oxford) pp111-119, with lozenge shaped field, face mask, gilding and silver applique. The integral rivet precludes this from being a brooch, however, and it is likely to be from horse harness.