A should clasp in gold with now empty stone inlays with very detailed interlace work, done in gold beaded filigree wire. Note that this item measures around 2.9cm by 6.5cm.
This item is part of the Taplow Barrow (tumuli) Burial Mound archeological find. Located in Taplow Court, Buckinghamshire in south-east England, inside what was an Iron Age hillfort, this 15 feet tall and 240 feet wide mound was constructed in the seventh century (~620). It was excavated in 1883 and the full extent of the findings are now at the British Museum, where many of them are on display.
It is a major find from the “conversion period”, a term describing the period where the conversion to Christianity of Anglo-Saxons kingdoms was still taking place. It is a transition period in art history that takes place after the “migration period”. It is described as being part of the Germanic art Animal Style II.
Sources & links
- Details and HD image from The British Museum item page
- Photos of the Burial Mound of Taplow
- Taplow Barrow on Wikipedia
- photo credit: © The Trustees of the British Museum
