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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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Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
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. 100 grams, 14.5 cm
Found near March, Cambridgeshire, UK, circa 2015.
A 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). -
Saxon Bronze Strap End Group
7th-9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Mainly zoomorphic in form, including examples with remains of niello and enamel inlay, together with a mount displaying a central roundel featuring a geometric motif in silver inlay. 22.1 grams, 21-38 mm
Acquired on the UK market, 1990s. Property of a retired academic. -
Anglo-Saxon Gilt-Bronze Cruciform Mount
Circa 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,380
With a mounting stud at each corner; parcel-gilt surface with central reserved square filled with red enamel; cruciform motif, a scaphoid cell at each corner with red enamel fill, four interstitial panels with chip-carved Style I ornament. 19.8 grams, 31 mm
Found near Lakenheath, Suffolk, UK, circa 2012. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11892-204383.
The use of enamel is unusual in early Anglo-Saxon contexts, except in parts of East Anglia where it may have been preferred as an alternative to garnet cloisonné.