STRAP END

An early-medieval copper-alloy strap-end, classified as Thomas's (2003, 2) Class A, Type 2 (probably geometric style), surviving well. This would date the artefact to around the 9th century AD.

The strap-end is flat in profile. The plate widens very slightly from the attachment end to a widest point at around the mid-point of the plate, not including the terminal; it can be described as shallowly convex, or bowed. This latter is an integral animal head. The split end has been bent down slightly, with the lower split part bent down slightly more besides. It is slightly abraded, and contains two surviving iron rivets.

The plate is unifacially decorated on the upper surface; the reverse is plain. The decoration is located in a main field divided from the long edges by engraved lines; the longitudinal borders beyond are nicked transversely to give them a beaded appearance. The field is divided into two main longitudinal cells by a median chord, each end of which is bifurcated to create two small triangular zones with curved sides, one at each end of the field. Both triangular zones contain two concentric triangles, most of which is still picked out with niello. Similarly the longitudinal cells are also decorated by engraved lines filled with niello. The design is the same in both and appears identical. It consists of a central pair of concentric lozenges in outline, beyond which a pair of transverse lines creating sub-square zones. Within the tapering ends of each cell is a triangle. The whole cell is delineated by a border, again filled with niello.

The animal head at the terminal has oval ears in outline with moulded triangles within. Below, the snout is incurved on both sides, before flaring very slightly at its tip. On the upper surface the area below the ears is decorated with an outline lozenge decorated with niello, below which two converging curved lines on the snout are also decorated with niello.

The strap-end has a mid/dark-green patina where it survives. It measures 41.3mm in length, up to 10.2mm in width, and up to 3.9mm in thickness; it weighs 4.52g.