BROOCH

A Roman Period, Copper Alloy Horse and Rider Plate Brooch; with a length of 31mm, a width of 25mm, and a thickness of 5mm. The Brooch weighs 4.22g and has traces of enamel within 5 cells.

The Horse portion of the Brooch is missing the majority of its tail and forelimb. The horse faces right and has a snout shaped like a ducks bill. It has a mane which has hair dipicted by a series of notches and a large fore body which contains 4 of the 5 cells. Two of the cells are of blue enamel, one being rectangular shaped,runs along the back half of the lower body curving into the hind leg. A second, rectangular cell located on the front portion of the horse between head and forelimb. A central ovoid cell is of red enamel, and is located in the centre of the brooch, where the arm of the rider might fall. The fourth cell is circular and located behind the former. It comprises of around 85% blue and 15% red enamel, with the red being located in the lower portion of the cell.

The rider of the brooch consists of a sub-rectangular shape with a number of incisions which seem to represent a crest of hair. There is one semi-rectangular cell which could be associated with the lower forearm of the rider, located between the two upper portions of the horse, and is a combination of red (90%) and blue (10%) enamel, with the blue being located in the lower portion of the cell.

The reverse of the brooch has remains of a catch plate and a semi-circular lug in copper alloy, with a spring of at least one coil, seemingly to be of iron due to associated staining along this portion of the brooch.

The Brooch in itself appears similar to that of 159 in figure 218 of Haltatt's A Visual Catalogue of Ancient Brooches.