BOOK FITTING

A largely complete hook-piece from a copper-alloy post-medieval book-clasp. The artefact is now slightly bent, and abraded at its wider end. It is sub-rectangular in shape, with a flared attachment end. At the opposite end is a curved hook (6.4mm wide). Below this the main body of the clasp is 15.35mm in width, quickly narrowing to 11.65mm after 5.8mm, finally flaring to a maximum of 17.95mm at the damaged attachment end. At the attachment end the are small triangular removals which help define its shape. Both of the terminal lobes are missing as a result of old damage caused as a result of bending and weakness at decorative perforations. The object is slightly bevelled on its longer edges on the upper surface.

On the upper surface the field is decorated in a number of ways. Below the hook is probably a pair of transverse incisions with incised zigzags between them. Beyond this, the field within the narrowed section is decorated with finely incised longitudinal incisions with a central chevron removal, the uppermost point of which coincides with a rivet hole. At about the centre is another rivet hole around which is a punched ring motif. Towards the flared end is a group of three perforations, recessed on the upper surface, set above another pair. Between the three is a 'pheon' motif of three slightly diverging lines extending up towards the ring and dot. There are further longitudinal incisions around the lower pair of holes.

Book-clasps bearing similar decorative motifs (punched ring and dot, the incised 'pheons') can be found illustrated in Crummy (1998, 68; e.g. ref. 2993). These examples are given a 17th-century date. This artefact has a dark red-brown colour with some patches of lighter corrosion product. Retained by the rivet in the hole nearest the hook is a rectangular sheet apparently rotated through ninety degrees (14.0 by 11.1mm). Assuming this is the back-plate, this is all that remains of it.