MOUNT

A fragment of a copper alloy and red glass inlaid Iron Age object, perhaps a mount. The fragment has broken in a circular pattern following the line of an inwards spiralling groove on its outer face with a two small irregularly shaped fragment attached to the outer edge. The groove encircles the fragment and then spirals inwards culminating in an expanded lobe with a recessed circle to one side of it in the centre of the outer face. The groove, its terminal lobe and the circle are all filled with red glass, although this is missing in places within the groove. The breaks remain fairly fresh and the surface of the metal and inlay are pitted with corrosion.

This type of red glass inlay is often referred to as 'sealing wax' glass due to its dull, opaque colour and the technique of using it to decorate recessed fields within patterns on metalwork was developed in Britain during the late Iron Age (Davis 2014).

The object is too fragmentary for its original form to be certain, but it may be part of a mount or harness fitting. Similar decoration inlaid with red glass can be seen for example on the Iron Age Polden Hill hoard in the collections of the British Museum (mus. coll. no.1889,0706.77, etc) and a mount from Santon, Norfolk (Hutcheson, 2004, 129, no.69).

Length: 24.39mm, width: 19.84mm, thickness: 2.50mm, weight: 3.89g