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LOT 0332
Published Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
6TH CENTURY A.D.
5 3/4 in. (114 grams, 14.5 cm).
Of Hines's Group I with border of facing masks to the headplate, two discs within incised frames and raised mask between; shallow bow with three ribs, the median one with a central boss and extending to a small beast-head between the curled horse-head lappets; lozenge-shaped footplate with ropework border and facing bearded mask, lateral lobes and lobe finial with an inverted facing mask; applied silver-sheet detailing to the edges of the footplate; remains of pin-lugs and catch to the reverse.
ProvenanceFound Scampton, Lincolnshire, UK.
From the private collection of Alan Harrison, circa 2000.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11900-204376.
Leahy, K., The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Lindsey, Stroud, 2007, pl.8.
LiteratureCf. Hines, J., A New Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Great Square-Headed Brooches, London, 1997, pl.9(a), for type.
FootnotesAn exact parallel for the Scampton brooch is not known, as is typical for these hand-items made by lost-wax casting processes in one-piece moulds. The brooch falls within Hines's Group I and shares many features with an example from Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire (Hines, 1997, no.13) although the latter has a Style I panel on the headplate whereas the Scampton example features two raised discs within incised squares, a feature also found on finds from Duston (and Linton Heath (Hines, 1997, pl.11)).
This brooch was recovered by a metal-detectorist in several pieces over a period of some years, and re-assembled. It was published by Leahy in his authoritative work on the Kingdom of Lindsey.
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LOT 0332
Published Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,640
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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). -
Anglo-Saxon Bronze Zoomorphic Strap End
9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Split along the upper edge of the plate; two slight flared lobes below the piercings for the attachment rivets; central panel ornamented with a length of tight interlaced knotwork and a zoomorphic terminal with triangular ears, bulbous eyes and a ribbed square snout. 8.44 grams, 37 mm
Found Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Both the interlace and the animal-head are drawn from the 7th-8th century manuscript tradition. This is a standard 9th century typology, seeming a nice version of the Trewhiddle style, closely allied to the early 9th century 'Tiberius' group of manuscripts, characterised by exuberant animals which are the descendants of the winged creatures and other sprightly beasts common in 8th century metalworks. -
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
Of Hines's Group XX with square headplate bearing concentric bands of billets, undulating lines and punched points, with vesica motifs to the upper corners; thick shallow bow with central rib, isosceles triangle footplate with horse-head lappets and flanking lobes with concentric rings, ropework bands and central vesica, disc finial with ropework border; pin-lugs to the reverse and broad catch. 136 grams, 13.5 cm
Found near Grimsby, Humberside, UK, circa 2010.
The brooch shows a restrained use of low-relief detailing confined to largely geometric features other than the horse-heads at the shoulders and the single facing mask on the headplate above the junction with the bow. The bow itself is very thick and displays a prominent median rib with just a suggestion of outer ribs. The mineral deposits on the reverse bear the imprint of the textile to which the brooch was attached.
