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.

Found 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.

Cf. Hines, J., A New Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Great Square-Headed Brooches, London, 1997, pl.9(a), for type.

An 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.