EARLY MEDIEVAL DIE STAMP

580

Cast copper-alloy die stamp, used for making foil mounts decorated in Anglo-Saxon Style II. Flat and circular, now incomplete (missing a small area to one side). It is 42.3mm in diameter, 4.28mm thick, mass 30.44g. The decoration consists of a central panel of four interlaced relief animals, their bodies marked by lines of dots, as can be seen on the great gold buckle from Sutton Hoo. The heads, marked by an eye set within an L-shaped rib, can be best seen at the top of the drawing. The central panel is surrounded by an elaborate border consisting of a ring of dots either side of a narrow band of relief interlace.The die was employed in what is known as the 'Pressblech' process of making foil mounts. In this a piece of thin sheet metal was laid over the die and covered with sheet lead. This was then struck with a hammer, transferring the design from the die to the foil. The foils were then used to decorate other objects.Compare NMS-808582, a Style II bracteate die which may have been converted into a weight.