Rights Holder: Kent County Council
CC License: 
Image use policy
Our images can be used under a CC BY attribution licence (unless stated otherwise).
BROOCH
Unique ID: PUBLIC-213626
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
An incomplete and worn cast gilt copper-alloy Early Medieval zoomorphic plate brooch in the shape of a horse (also known as a Pferdefibeln), of likely Merovingian Frankish origin or influence, c. mid 5th - mid 6th century in date (AD c.475-c.530 ).
The brooch is flat and shaped like a horse with a its legs attached to a linear base. The detail of the horse is picked out in the chip-carve style, consisting of flowing incised lines particularly highlighting the horse's main and tail. The large eye of the head which is the only real detail of the face save for a very small triangular ear, very much resembles that of the bird brooches. White backing paste remains in the eye 'socket' cell indicating a now missing backing foil + garnet or unbacked garnet inlay. This appears to be a relatively recent loss as some of the white backing paste, which is often vulnerable to degradation/damage when exposed, remains in the cell. The spring loop and catchplate arrangement on the undecorated reverse is a standard arrangement seen across the early medieval zoomorphic plate brooches of Northern Europe and the iron spring remains only as rust staining on the back of the brooch.
Some golden coloured gilding remains on the front of the brooch particularly in the recessed lines of the horses body and tail, where the copper-alloy of the horses body is green typical of patinated copper-alloy. On the reverse there is no indication of gilding having ever occurred and there is brown-orangey staining around the tail end by the location of the spring loop.
Measurements: 32mm long, 15mm high and 4.35g in weight
Notes:
Pferdefibeln are rare finds in England with an example from Dover Buckland being the only one held by the British Museum (1995,0102.865), On the continent they are more common with a number being known from Merovingian Frankia and large numbers from the Lombardic areas of the Alps and Northern Italy (Pollington 2010, 226). The Pferdefibelns from England and France share very similar decorative features to the zoomorphic bird brooches in the same areas and Pferdefibeln often differ from each other on individual decorative elements yet share them with some of the bird brooches indicating close links between subsets of the two brooch types. The use of the early medieval style of bird/horse brooches in England seems to begin in the middle of the 5th century (c.450) and continue in use to the end of the 6th (Pollington 2010, 226), going out of style in the Kingdom of Kent slightly early around the middle of the 6th century (Brugmann 2012, 344-346).
This example with its relatively subtle chip carved decoration coupled with the use of a slab cut garnet inlay for the eye likely dates this brooch roughly to the period c.475-c.530AD and is in the style of the Frankish brooches rather than Lombardic.
Find of note status
This is a find of note and has been designated: Regional importance
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Ascribed Culture:
Frankish style
Date from: Circa AD 475
Date to: Circa AD 530
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 32 mm
Height: 15 mm
Weight: 4.35 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 27th September 2015
Personal details
This information is restricted for your access level.
Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Secondary material: Iron
Manufacture method: Cast
Decoration style: Zoomorphic
Completeness: Incomplete
Surface Treatment: Gilded
Spatial metadata
Region: South East (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Kent (County)
District: Canterbury (District)
Parish or ward: Kingston (Civil Parish)
Spatial coordinates
4 Figure: TR1951
Four figure Latitude: 51.21618129
Four figure longitude: 1.13446501
1:25K map: TR1951
1:10K map: TR15SE
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brugmann, B. | 2012 | Part: 8 Buckland Cemetery Chronology | Ashford | Canterbury Archaeological Trust | 344-346 | ||
| Pollington, S. | 2010 | Anglo-Saxon Art, Myth and Material Culture 4th-7th Century: Wayland's Work | Ely | Anglo-Saxon Books |
Similar objects
Find number: HAMP-0ABB4E
Object type: BROOCH
Broadperiod: EARLY MEDIEVAL
An incomplete early early-medieval (Anglo-Saxon, c.500-600) gilded copper-alloy zoomorphic plate bird brooch with garnet eye detail, missing …
Workflow: Published
Find number: KENT-020610
Object type: PIN
Broadperiod: EARLY MEDIEVAL
CORONER'S REPORT
Zoomorphic terminal, head of a pin.Description of find
Flat, silver, openwork, relief terminal, parcel gilt and with niello …
Workflow: Published
Find number: KENT2475
Object type: BROOCH
Broadperiod: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Gilded copper alloy Frankish bird brooch. The brooch is decorated with chip-carved ornament, and a circular garnet setting forms an eye. Broo…
Workflow: Published
Timeline of associated dates
About Us
About our Site
Find us
The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG.
T: +44(0) 20 73238618