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LOT 0302
Large Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze 'Eleven Running Spirals' Saucer Brooch
6TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/8 in. (60.4 grams, 54 mm).
Large discoid brooch with deep flange rim, tondo comprising a carinated outer panel with stamped pellet-in-triangle ornament, band of eleven running spirals inner carinated band and central voss; reverse with pin-lug and ferrous remains of the pin, hooked catch; incised concentric rings.
ProvenanceFound whilst searching with a metal detector near Meysey Hampton, Gloucestershire, UK, on 19 July 2020.
PublishedExhibited at the Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 7th October 2026-9th December 2026; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefacts on display.
LiteratureCf. MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E., A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), Oxford, 1993 item 2.1.
FootnotesIt is rare to find a saucer brooch with eleven spirals in the tondo rather than the more usual five or seven, although the Brighthampton example in MacGregor and Bolick (p.42) provides a parallel. The present piece is in many respects similar to the Brighthampton examples, although it has an additional punched band inside the flange rim. The incised rings on the reverse would not normally have been seen in use, and may have been used by the maker to place the catch and lug symmetrically.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0302
Large Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze 'Eleven Running Spirals' Saucer Brooch
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£750 (EUR 870; USD 1,013) +BP*
-
Anglo-Saxon Bronze Cruciform Brooch
Circa 6th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Comprising a headplate formed as a rectangular median plate with lateral wings; raised central square panel with incised vegetal motive; to the middle of each edge a Style I human mask in plan, formed as a T-shaped brow-and-nasal with two pellet eyes; the bow deep with facetting at each end; the footplate triangular with transverse collar above a finial Style I human mask with complex beard below; pin-lugs and scar for catchplate to reverse; a marriage. 42 grams, 11.6 cm
Acquired on the UK art market since the 1960s. From the private collection of Mr J.P.H., a Woolwich, UK, collector, his collection formed since the 1960s. -
Anglo-Saxon Gilt-Bronze Zoomorphic Terminal
Circa 800-1100 A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Formed as a tapering stylised animal head pointing down with a short, blunt snout with wide nostrils and bulging eyes, a shallow concave depression behind the eyes with two further smaller depressions on the neck; the reverse with an evenly stamped hexagonal decoration. 1.97 grams, 26 mm
Found whilst searching with a metal detector in Wymondham, Norfolk, UK. Property of a Kent gentleman, a specialist medieval collector. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.KENT-947019. -
Saxon Bronze Radiate Brooch
Circa 6th century A.D.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
A radiate-headed brooch composed of a semi-circular head plate with five knobs, expanding rectangular bow, engraved decoration to the obverse; remains of pin lug and catchplate to reverse. 14 grams, 59 mm
Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. From an East Anglian private collection.
