EARLY MEDIEVAL BROOCH

450

Anglo-Saxon cast copper alloy button brooch with a gilt surface. This brooch is an example of Avent and Evison Class Aii. Button brooches are circular in shape and resemble miniature saucer brooches, although the relationship between these two brooch classes is not clear. The brooch is 16mm in diameter, the thickness and weight are unknown. The brooch is slightly worn and corroded on raised areas and on edge of rim. The bright yellow gilt survives on the recesses of the brooch, and on the wide decorative border. The brooch does not have an upturned rim, and it is unclear if a rim was originally present on the brooch especially as the remaining edge of the brooch does not appear to be broken.The upper face is decorated with a face-mask motif, which is comprised of 7 different elements. There is a small pointed helmet with upturned ends with slightly upturned eyebrows situated immediately below. A wide nose that flares out at the nostrils is attached to the centre of the eyebrow element. The eyes are small and rounded with curved, well placed eye-rings below. The narrow cheeks are slightly angular. The face has a narrow, slightly open mouth, with both the curved upper and lower element of the mouth being of the same length.There is further decoration surrounding the face-mask, which is comprised of a large flat decorative border containing a ring of triangular punchmarks, which appears to be radiating out from the face design, with the top point of each triangle meeting the edge of the brooch. There are 14 triangles in total, and each triangle consists of three grooves inside each other. The decorative border is similar to Stowting 31.1, but the triangular punch-marks point towards the face rather than away from it as with this example. The reverse of the brooch is unknown, the only details from the original PAS record stated that there was some iron corrosion at the top of the brooch which may imply that an iron pin originally ran down the length of the face.