STRAP FITTING

A Post-Medieval copper alloy snake shaped strap-fitting.

The strap fitting is S-shaped in plan and sub-oval in cross section being wider than it is thick. Both sides of the fitting have moulded and incised decoration that give the impression of two snakes, the tips of the S being their heads, whose bodies terminate in fish like tails at the the S's centre which is marked by a raised flower. More specifically the tip of each S has has a naturalistically modelled reptilian or bird like head.

Each head has a medium beak behind which is a prominent moulded eye with a slightly raised crest on top. After the head their is moulded and incised decoration defining a series of irregularly shaped pellets that give the impression of scales or feathers running around the body of each animal. Close to the centre of each S this scale pattern ends followed by a raised moulded design forming a T with long spiralling arms, giving the impression of a tail. Between each tail is then a raised moulded rose.

The object is 28.5mm long, 20.7mm wide, 4.7mm thick and weighs 11.95 grams.

Read (2008:230) illustrates similar ones, including no.825, he givens dates ranging from the mid 16th century to the mid 19th with those with central mouldings and two heads generally earlier in the range as opposed to the snake like forms with head and tail popular in the 19th and 20th centuries. Such fittings were used to fasten belts and are commonly seen on sword belts in portraits of the 16th to 17th century although later they may have been used for more general belts. Similar examples on the database include SOM-57096C, PUBLIC-B811C6 and SOM-81D67