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LOT 0331
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
6TH CENTURY A.D.
5 3/4 in. (100 grams, 14.5 cm).
Of Hines's Group X with rectangular headplate featuring low-relief bird-heads and a raised piriform mask to each upper corner; shallow bow with raised ribs and a stud to the centre; triangular footplate with coiled horse-head lappets forming the shoulders, lateral lobes (one detached) with sheet-silver surface, inverted facing mask to the finial; remains of ferrous pin and catch to the reverse.
ProvenanceFound near March, Cambridgeshire, UK, circa 2015.
LiteratureCf. Hines, J., A New Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Great Square-Headed Brooches, London, 1997, pl.33(b).
FootnotesA close match to the features of the March brooch is not recorded in Hines's corpus, but the very distinctive isosceles triangle footplate with sharp shoulders appears on the example from Little Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire (Hines's pl.33(b). The facing masks in the upper corners of the headplate also appear on an example from Driffield (Hines, 1997, pl.82(a).
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0331
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
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Late Anglo-Saxon Prick Spur with Urnes Style Mythical Beast
Circa 1030-1100 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
The T-shaped body with remains of the iron core, each of the arms with a series of three transverse ridges, the shaft with moulded Urnes style zoomorphic decoration comprising scrolling tendrils running down either side, each running up to a coiled projection on either side of the head, possibly depicting ears or horns. 28.9 grams, 55 mm
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Mundford, Breckland, Norfolk, UK, by R.Humphrys. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme report no.NMS-524F67.
Artefacts such as these are dated to the 11th century and are thought to be Viking in origin, but were widely used by the Anglo-Scandinavians and remained a legacy for the Anglo-Saxon cavalry. Spurs of this type were used probably by the Saxons at the battle of Hastings in 1066. -
Large Saxon Amber Bead
Circa 5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Opaque and amorphous in form, with a holed drilled slightly off-centre for suspension. 3.19 grams, 22 mm
UK gallery, early 2000s. -
Anglo-Saxon Chip-Carved Gilt-Bronze Brooch Fragment
6th-9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Likely the footplate from a larger brooch; oval body with chip-carved geometric ornament, three clusters of roundels to the circumference. 8.8 grams, 34 mm
Acquired on the UK market, 1990s. Property of a retired academic.
