EARLY MEDIEVAL BROOCH

450

An incomplete cast copper-alloy Anglo-Saxon/Early-Medieval miniature radiate headed brooch. Only the headplate, part of the bow and pin lug survive intact, the remainder of the brooch now missing due to old breaks. The head is flat, D-shaped in form and with three evenly spaced integrally cast knops. At the top of the headplate is a larger central knop that is flat, sub-triangular in form with worn outer edges that expand horizontally and which is separated from the headplate by two transverse grooves. At each side of the headplate are smaller sub-rectangular or oval shaped knops separated from the headplate by double vertical grooves, their upper corners expanding towards the top of the brooch. The front face of the headplate has chip carved decoration. This comprises a central panel with double grooved border containing two pairs of trapezoidal shaped motifs separated at the centre of the panel by a double vertical ridge. Each pair consists of a larger motif towards the centre and a smaller at the bottom edge of the central panel, the two elements separated by a single transverse ridge.At the base of the headplate extends the integrally cast bow, which projects slightly forwards onto the front face of the headplate. This is gently curved in profile with a slightly hollow back face and moulded decoration on the front face. The moulded decoration consists of multiple inverted V-shaped mouldings giving it an almost stepped appearance, with transverse grooves visible at the base of the bow where it terminates in old breaks. On the back face of the headplate is an incomplete central, single pin lug that is missing its outer edge due to old breaks. The entire object has a worn dark green/brown patina with traces of corrosive copper-alloy products on all surfaces and iron staining on the back face. It measures 26.02mm in length, 32.64mm in width at headplate, 8.89mm in width at bow, 2.64mm in thickness (3.32mm in thickness at bow) and weighs 4.95g.This is the headplate from an incomplete brooch of Anglo-Saxon/Early-Medieval date. Several similar brooches with small D-shaped headplate and three radiating knops have been recorded through the PAS database, mostly from the south and east of England (for brooches of similar form see for example KENT-09C753, KENT4442; KENT3392; HAMP-A1E871; IOW-E94E22; IOW-25CA93; BUC-060D95; for brooches with similar decorative elements on the headplate see for example KENT-99C868 and BH-58CFE4). Two further examples are noted from Suffolk (SF-1A7C75 and West, 1998: no. 19.19). Due to the semi-circular heaplates of these brooches, a feature shared with Frankish radiate-headed brooches, this brooch might be termed a miniature radiate-headed brooch since it lacks the multiple radiating knops and shares similarities with continental examples termed 'miniaturfibeln' or miniature brooches. These appear to be a typically south and south-eastern development with an excavated parallel known from Bifrons (Kent) grave 16 (S. Hawkes 2000, 'The Anglo-Saxon Cemetery of Bifrons, in the Parish of Patrixbourne, East Kent' in Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History 11, 1-94). However, their precise origin, whether as an insular Anglo-Saxon or continental development requires further study.