Image: Incomplete cast copper alloy gilt button brooch of Early Early-Medieval date (AD 475 – AD 550). (FindID 108518)

Description: Incomplete cast copper alloy gilt button brooch of Early Early-Medieval date (AD 475 – AD 550). Diameter 18mm and about 2.0mm thick. Weight 4.22g.The brooch, circular in plan, has a vertical rim rather than the more typical outward flare. The depth of the rim is about 2.0mm if measured from the reverse face. Within the rim is a flat border which varies in width from 0.4mm to 2.0mm. This border is stamped with twelve almost evenly spaced annulets. At the centre of the brooch is a moulded anthropomorphic face mask which has prominent and well defined features. The hair (or perhaps a helmet) is represented by two separate and upward pointing “waves”. The lower of these features is attached to the triangular-shaped nose, the lower part of which is corroded. The eyes are sunken and not quite so well defined as the other features of the mask. The cheeks are particularly prominent and are fully rounded. Below a down-turned moustache is a small lentoid-shaped mouth. The moulded features representing the hair/helmet and the moustache have punched dot decoration along their higher parts. The hair/helmet features have two roughly parellel lines of punch marks, whereas the moustache has a single line of punch marks. The reverse is flat and has the remains of two lugs containing the corroded remains of an iron hinge or spring mechanism. Due to corrosion, it is not possible to give a more precise description of the mechanism. The pin is missing. The incomplete catch-plate is trapezoidal in plan (as viewed from the side). The mask at the front and the lugs and catch-plate on the reverse are aligned on the same orientation. The front of the brooch and also the outer edges of the rim are mainly gilded. However, the underlying metal is generally corroded. A patchy mid-green patina has survived in places on the reverse. No evidence for burning or melting.
Title: Incomplete cast copper alloy gilt button brooch of Early Early-Medieval date (AD 475 – AD 550).
Credit: https://finds.org.uk/database/ajax/download/id/77226 Catalog: https://finds.org.uk/database/images/image/id/77226/recordtype/artefacts archive copy Artefact: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/108518
Author: Frank Basford, Frank Basford, 2005-09-30 09:15:51
Permission: Attribution-ShareAlike License version 4.0 (verified 23 November 2020)
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Attribution Required?: Yes