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LOT 0368
Anglo-Saxon Great Square-Headed Brooch
6TH CENTURY A.D.
4 1/2 in. (82 grams, 11.5 cm).
Comprising: trapezoidal headplate with beast-head spurs to the upper angles and concentric panels of Style I ornament; shallow bow with central cell and garnet insert; long footplate with lateral lappets and central lozenge; facing mask above a trapezoidal bar finial; pin-lugs and catch to the reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound U.K.
British private collection, acquired by 2000.
Cf. Hines, J., A New Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Great Square-Headed Brooches, London, 1997, items 11(a) Linton Heath for headplate, 17(b) Rothley, for foot.
FootnotesThe meaning of the 'facing mask' motif is probably related to the profile masks so frequently used in Style I art, where the 'pellet' eye is enclosed by an arched frame: the 'facing mask' repeats this motif to produce a pair of eyes in a doubled 'bow'. An element of visual 'riddling' is no doubt present: the design is neither one thing nor the other, but includes elements of both.
Distribution of great square-headed brooches was initially concentrated along the valleys of the Rivers Trent, Thames and Severn, though it was later confined to the East Midlands and East Anglia (Hines, 1997, figs. 101, 102).
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Group comprising six numbered and annotated card boxes each with a sherd from Bagmoor or Dialstone; each piece with inked reference number. 264 grams total, 36-48 mm
Found Bagmoor, Lincolnshire and Dialstone, near Stockport, UK. -
Anglo-Saxon Bronze Regardant Beast Disc Brooch
8th-9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Comprising a flat-section disc with reserved regardant beast within a pelletted border, catchplate to the reverse. 6.96 grams, 28.8 mm
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Anglo-Saxon Gilt Chip-Carved Bronze Hanging Bowl Mount
Early 9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,600
Triangular mount with applied rim forming a cell and interlocking La Tène spirals to the face; hook to the apex with recesses; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 9.11 grams, 34 mm (29.8 grams total, 59 mm including stand)
Found Haddenham near Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK. From the collection of Dirk Kennis, Belgium.
The cells on the mount were intended to be filled with coloured enamel to produce a rich polychrome effect. 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.