MOUNT

Copper alloy Early Medieval mount in the form of a circular disc with and enamelled face. The decoration on the face is divided into four equal portions, each containing a triangular shaped penannular loop with the point facing towards the centre and the curved base position to the edge of the mount. The right-hand straight edge on each loop is broken; this geometric paten ultimately forms a central cross and allows the loops to form a knot motif. The centre of each loop is recessed allowing the centre to be filled with a yellow enamel. The cross and outer edge of the mount is also slightly raised and infilled with a white paste.
There is a drilled hole at opposite sides of the mount (2mm in dimeter) both holes are now encrusted, one with iron corrosion but would have passed through the object to enable attachment via two rivets. The back of the mount is undecorated.

This is an Irish mount and of probable 8th century date and whilst no direct parallels for this item have been found, the style of the enamel work can be comparted to that on a mount from Oseberg (Youngs, Work of Angels, 1989, 38, No 52) and mounts from Breedon on the Hill, Leicestershire and Myklebostad, Eid. Sogn og Fjordane, Norway (ibid. Nos. 50 and 51. The latter is said to be from a hanging bowl but [not] a hanging bowl as we know it. (Leahy, Pers Comm. 2018)