Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
6th century A.D.. Of Hines's Group XX with square headplate bearing concentric bands of billets, undulating lines and punched points, with vesica motifs to the upper corners; thick shallow bow with central rib, isosceles triangle footplate with horse-head lappets and flanking lobes with concentric rings, ropework bands and central vesica, disc finial with ropework border; pin-lugs to the reverse and broad catch. Cf. Hines, J., A New Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Great Square-Headed Brooches, London, 1997, pl.78(a).
136 grams, 13.5 cm (5 3/8 in.).
Found near Grimsby, Humberside, UK, circa 2010. The brooch shows a restrained use of low-relief detailing confined to largely geometric features other than the horse-heads at the shoulders and the single facing mask on the headplate above the junction with the bow. The bow itself is very thick and displays a prominent median rib with just a suggestion of outer ribs. The mineral deposits on the reverse bear the imprint of the textile to which the brooch was attached.