BOX

A copper alloy mount dating from the Early Medieval period. The mount is a disc with a raised rim and is decorated with five "watch spring" bosses. These are spaced evenly round a central setting which is now empty. Each boss is a pointed dome in deep relief, decorated with three spiral grooves. At the base of the domes, these grooves fork and expand forming trumpet shaped areas between them on the flat disc. The central setting is circular and deep but is completely empty. It may have originally contained blue cabochon glass or amber. Four copper alloy rivets are untidily positioned to attach the mount. Three of these survive partially and one is missing. The clumsiness of the rivets may indicate a secondary use, such as on the large Irish boss used on Steeple Bumpstead church door for example, but no other method of attachment is observable, suggesting that the rivets are original. The reverse is flat except for the protruding rivets. The disc is 43.75mm in diameter and is 4.9mm thick.

The use of "watch spring" spirals and a setting are typical of Irish metalwork dating from the 8th or 9th century. The ornament is crisp and neat and follows the insular tradition. Objects of this type are normally gilded, so it is interesting that there is no evidence of gilt on this example.

This mount was probably from a shrine which was imported into England by the Vikings in the late 9th century. The relatively small size and flatness of the mount suggests that it is from a small portable object such as the famous house-shrines. However, these are usually attached through the box sides by a deep integral lug, and there is no sign of one on this mount, or of one having been removed.

A parallel in metalwork for these raised spiral bosses is a larger circular shrine fitting from Komnes, Norway, (Wamers 1985, Kat. 129, Taf. 12,1); the Komnes mount also has four large rivets, perhaps with gem-set heads, which obscure the underlying decoration. This type of larger shrine mount was typically hollowed and was made in sets used for the cardinal points of an equal armed cross. In addition, much grander parallels for such raised bosses are on the pair of gable mounts now in St Germain (The Work of Angels, Youngs, nos 138a and b - colour plate). Neither model looks to have such deep relief as on this disc. The great illuminated manuscripts of the period, such as the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells also carry this ornament.

However, the closest parallel for this piece has been suggested by Raghnall O Floinn of the National Museum of Ireland. It is a disc from a shrine from Clonard, Co Meath, published in 'A fragmentary house-shaped shrine from Clonard, Co. Meath' , The Journal of Irish Archaeology, V 1989-90, 49-55. Several similarly decorated pieces are mentioned here, the finds from Viking graves in Norway. This style can be attributed to the 8th - 9th century.

Compare PUBLIC-D1A321.