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LOT 1271
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Horse Harness Mount
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1 3/8 in. (6.4 grams, 35 mm).
Composed of a pelta-shaped body with broad border, central panel of dense Style II ornament, three studs to the reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx property of a gentleman; acquired in the 1970s.
LiteratureCf. Carver, M., Sutton Hoo. A Seventh Century Princely Burial Ground and its Context, London, 2005, item 25cii; Fern, C., ‘The Archaeological Evidence for Equestrianism in Early Anglo-Saxon England c.450-700' in Pluskowski, A. (ed.), Just skin and bones? New perspectives in Animal-Human relations in the Historical Past, 2005, pp.43-71.
FootnotesThe pelta-shaped body could be a part of a circular decorative phalera usually attached to the breast of the horse, or to the muzzle of the horse's head, or decoration of the harness mount of antilina or strap-junction of the postilina (Fern, 2005, fig.5.18). It was usually positioned at the bottom of the phalera.
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Anglo-Saxon Gilt Chip-Carved Bronze Disc Brooch
8th-early 9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
Plate brooch with raised rim and four applied knops (two absent); central disc surrounding by four radiating arms extending to D-shaped panels at the rim where the knops are attached; the interstitial fields with dense reserved meander-pattern ornament; pierced at the centre with a second eccentrically-placed hole and another offset hole at the end of one of the 'arms'; part of the rim absent; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 7.73 grams, 29.2 mm (29.19 grams total, 68 mm including stand)
Found Harston, Cambridgeshire, UK. Ex Essex collection formed in the 1980s. From the collection of Dirk Kennis, Belgium.
The 'key pattern' design appears in Irish and Scottish (Pictish) metalwork and carved stone such as the Nigg Stone (Ross Shire, Scotland) as well as in the borders of the Book of Kells. Recorded, studied, and determined by the Secretary of State’s Expert Adviser as an object of cultural interest. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) considered an application to export this object. The Committee concluded that the object satisfied the third Waverley criterion and is therefore currently not exportable. -
Anglo-Saxon Gold Chip-Carved Bronze Roundel
6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Central stud with six running spirals around; dimple to the reverse. 6.53 grams, 30.23 mm
Found Southern England. Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. From an East Anglian private collection.
The item is probably the button from a shield-boss as it shows signs of a ferrous rivet to the centre. -
Saxon Gilt Cruciform Pyramid Mount
7th-9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Displaying incised scroll decoration to the arms and pyramidal faces; four attachment lugs to the reverse. 7.1 grams, 21 mm
Acquired on the UK art market before 2016. Ex property of an American collector.
