A fabricated bow brooch with square-section transverse arm, three onion-shaped knops with beaded wire collars, scrolled loops to the upper face, rectangular-section bow with beaded wire collar, trapezoidal D-section footplate with notched upper edges; gold hinged pin and catchplate to the reverse.

PROVENANCE:
From the Maurice Braham and Lord McAlpine collections; formerly in the collection of Henry Mossop, Lincolnshire, UK.

LITERATURE:
Cf. Hattatt, R. Iron Age and Roman Brooches, Oxford, 1985, item 505.

FOOTNOTES:
This is a rare and unusual example of the highest skill in Roman jewellery making. The catchplate is solid gold; most of the remainder is thick gold sheet beaten over a base metal core, probably bronze. The knobs in particular show numerous tiny hammer marks. This item is accompanied by a positive XRF metal analysis report for the gold from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Limited.