Brooches - Frankish Styles

From The Viking Age Compendium
Revision as of 14:31, 29 March 2013 by Admin (Talk | contribs) (Small cloisonné enamel brooches)

Jump to: navigation, search


More Fastenings pages

Completion Rating
This article's completion rating is 1 out of 5. Article planned for future work. No real progress to date.
Completion Rating
This article's completion rating is 1 out of 5. Article planned for future work. No real progress to date.

Small cloisonné enamel brooches

C10th - Gilt copper alloy with enamel inlay. 2.1 – 2.6cm

Archaeology

  • England, Eastern, 15 finds dated to the 10th / 11th [BUCKTON 1986]
  • Sweden, Birka, 2 finds. Classed as Type VII – Polychrome. Made from copper-alloy and white metal, inlaid with glass. [ARWIDSSON 1984: p.58-74]

Discussion
Eastern distribution, similar ones found in Scandinavia? [BACKHOUSE 1984: p.100 cat.92,93]

All the brooches are made of copper, originally gilded all over, including the back. They have discoid copper-gilt cloisonne enamel centrepieces, often introduced in such a way that the pin of the brooch does not correspond with any axis of the design of the enamel. They are either lobed or flanged, the lobed type ranging from 23.6 to 29.9 mm in overall measurement and the flanged type from 21.0 to 33.0 mm in diameter. The brooches with lobes, of which there are usually seven, have or had a small glass sphere in a simple setting on each projection; this glass matches glass used in the enamel centrepiece of the same brooch [BUCKTON 1986: p.14-15]

Due to their small size questions have been raised regarding their practical use. Professor Evison has suggested that they may have been worn to ward off evil and with their cross or eye designs. Buckton then suggests that the 7 surrounding lobes could be interpreted as the snakes on a Medusa’s head. [BUCKTON 1986: p.15]

Carolingian strap ends used as brooches

(ROESDAHL and WILSON 1992, p.258 cat.122)


References

<nocite> ARWIDSSON1984 BACKHOUSE1984 BUCKTON1986 </nocite> <biblio force=false>#Template:Bib</biblio>