Image: The Sutton on the Forest Mount YORYM 2009 24

Description: Gold fitting in the form of a three-dimensional animal head with a suspension loop protruding from its jaws and two short sockets at the back of the head representing formalised ears. The protruding eyes are inlaid with blue glass studs and encircled with filigree annulets. The brow and muzzle are decorated with scrolls of beaded filigree wire, and the eyes and cheeks are emphasized by arcs of the same; the mouths and bases of the twin sockets are encircled with beaded wire, and the tubes themselves decorated with strips of the same; the plain underside of the head is edged by another. The sockets are discrete elements and do not interconnect. The suspension loop, which is much plainer, is attached by a crude gold rivet which overlies original decoration, and may therefore be a replacement or later addition. The function of this fitting is something of a mystery, although stylistically, its snub-nosed animal head, blue glass eyes and filigree decoration have good parallels in a number of mid to late 9th century Anglo-Saxon objects such as the strap ends from Ipsden Heath, Oxfordshire, and Braughing, Hertfordshire, and less directly, with some of the sculptured animal heads at Deerhurst Church and the terminal on the elaborate Alfred Jewel. The angled twin sockets representing the creature’s ears seem to have been intended to be functional rather than purely decorative; but the fact that they do not interconnect suggests that they were intended to hold some rigid elements such as a suspension chain or braided textile. The lack of rivet holes to attach any element must have meant that whatever went into the sockets was wedged in very tightly or was firmly glued. This is odd to say the least, and if they were intended to be purely decorative, they are also without parallel. This translation of ears into sockets is matched by the dual nature of the suspension loop protruding from the jaws. Even though the present loop may be a replacement, the jaws were intended to hold a loop from the outset, since the loop takes the form of a lolling tongue when seen from the front. Although to our eyes the object may seem best viewed and understood with the muzzle and tongue pointing downwards, and the ears pricked upwards, as on contemporary strap ends, the position of the suspension loop strongly suggests that it was designed for use the other way up. What function it might have had in either orientation remains at present a puzzle. (Description taken from DCMS Treasure Annual Report, 2000)
Title: The Sutton on the Forest Mount - Anglo-Saxon
Credit: This file originated on the York Museums Trust Online Collection. YMT hosted a GLAMwiki partnership in 2013/14. This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing.
Author: Photographed by: York Museums Trust Staff
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License: CC BY-SA 4.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
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