Anglo-Saxon Bronze Decorated Ligula

Comprising a rectangular headplate flanked by rectangular panes, each with an integral domed boss; deep carinated bow with ribbing at each end; pelta-shaped foot with flange pierced in two places (for attachment of bead swags); pin-lug in ferrous accretion and catch to reverse. 14 grams, 55 mm



Found East Anglia, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The brooch is unusual in having a fully-developed cruciform headplate and bow, but a simple flanged foot rather than the normal horse-head style. It is paralleled in West's corpus in fig.153 (1) where a similar melding of cruciform and small-long elements is found.

With trapezoidal headplate, shallow bow, narrow triangular foot and disc finial, pin-lugs in ferrous accretion and catch to the reverse; the headplate with angled scaphoid panels to the upper corners and band of billets enclosing a band of guilloche with Salin's Style I facing mask at the end of the bow; broad ribbed bow; lappets of Salin's Style I profile horse-heads flanking the junction of the bow with the footplate with small facing mask between the necks; vertical bar running to the finial, bisecting a cruciform panel with Salin's Style I zoomorphic forms; lateral plain lobes; finial comprising a disc connected to the vertical rib. 75 grams, 15 cm



Found Weston Colville, Cambridgeshire, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12780-239463. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

This magnificent brooch finds parallels with specimens derived from the group XVI-XVIII, according to Hines classification, from Market Overton II and Beckford A11. They represent, according to Hines, a transitional stage in the introduction of relief ornament into the headplate frame of brooches associated with group XVI.

Comprising two lozengiform feet joined by an arched bow with median plate; feet and bow decorated with raised saltire and pellets in the spandrel; pierced pin-lug and catch to reverse. 12.8 grams, 48 mm



Found Little Blakenham, Suffolk, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.SF-4BC3AB. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.