Rights Holder: Cambridgeshire County Council
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Unique ID: CAM-123165
Object type certainty: Probably
Workflow
status: Published
Description: Incomplete silver object, perhaps part of a large thick silver Anglo-Saxon oval mount, or the terminal from a solid cast strap-end. The object is now D-shaped, with Winchester-style decoration in sharp relief, best viewed when the object is held with the curved side uppermost.
The front is decorated with a central stem in relief. The lowest surviving element of the stem is an inverted triangle with a rectangular projection rising from the centre; the triangle is emphasised with two longitudinal grooves, one of which appears to have a tiny fragment of niello inlay, and the projection has a similar central groove. A lateral stem with central longitudinal groove rises from the angle between the triangle and the projection on either side, and a thicker flaring central stem, also with wide central groove, rises from the projection to end in a flower at the top. The flower has five petals visible; a central V-shaped petal with central groove, a rounded petal to either side, and a downward-curving petal above each of the rounded petals.
To either side of the plant is a well-modelled bird. The birds are addorsed, with their feet bent forwards under their bodies to meet the edge of the object. Their tails droop and their ends have been lost at the break. The tails and folded wings have grooved detail and the necks are turned so that the heads look over the backs to bite at the flower. The necks appear to have worn ridged collars; the heads have an elongated depression with a circular ridge for an eye, and a simple open mouth with thin lower jaw. There is no trace of any niello inlay under the microscope.
The reverse is undecorated and the break is fresh.
Dimensions: Maximum width 24.93mm, maximum incomplete length 24.26mm, thickness 3.3mm, weight 6.8g.
Discussion: This object fits well into a group of tenth-century objects in Winchester style. Many, unlike this example, are openwork (compare SUSS-052A12, and a group of strap-ends from Winchester itself discussed by Hinton in Biddle 1990, 494-9) but the solid examples (such as the oval mount KENT-CB9F44) are often nielloed and gilded, and appear to draw inspiration from earlier Carolingian metalwork. See Kershaw 2008 for a discussion of the group.
Date: Tenth century AD.
Notes:
As this object is made of more than 10% precious metal and is over 300 years old, it constitutes potential Treasure under the Treasure Act 1996.
This has been noted as an interesting find by the recorder.
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder after being disclaimed as Treasure
Treasure case tracking number: 2013T486
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Period to: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Ascribed Culture:
Anglo-Saxon style
Date from: Circa AD 900
Date to: Circa AD 1000
Quantity: 1
Length: 24.26 mm
Width: 24.93 mm
Thickness: 3.03 mm
Weight: 6.7 g
Date(s) of discovery: Saturday 20th October 2012
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Treasure case number: 2013T486
Primary material: Silver
Completeness: Incomplete
Surface Treatment: Inlaid with niello
4 Figure: TL0974
Four figure Latitude: 52.353239
Four figure longitude: -0.40104
1:25K map: TL0974
1:10K map: TL07SE
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 0.1 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Biddle, M. | 1990 | Artefacts from Medieval Winchester: Object and Economy in Medieval Winchester | Oxford | Clarendon Press | |||
Kershaw, J. | 2008 | The distribution of the ‘Winchester’ style in Late Saxon England: metalwork finds from the Danelaw | Oxford | School of Archaeology, Oxford University |