File:Dragonesque brooch (FindID 184516).jpg

English: Roman brooch; Cast copper alloy dragonesque brooch fragment with relief decoration. Dated to the 2nd century. The fragment consists of the main ‘body’ of the brooch and one of the ‘heads’. The pin is also present and complete. The ‘head’ at the other end of the brooch is missing.

The brooch consists of a plate of approximate s-shape. It is broad at the centre, then narrows to a ‘neck’ at either end of this central section. The brooch is broken off at one of these ‘necks’ but the other curves back on the central section and broadens again to a zoomorphic ‘head’ with up-curled snout and indications of an ear at the back of the head. The snout has been broken at the end and there is also a break across the top of the ‘head’ and the ear. The central section is decorated with a relief design of flaring trumpet shapes swirled around a central circle. The ‘head’ has an incised circle (forming an eye) and indications of a further incised circle on the end of the snout (now broken off). There are also incised lines delineating the ear and around the edges of the brooch. The back of the brooch is undecorated. The whole has a smooth, grey-green patina.

The pin is formed of a length of copper alloy wire which is attached by being curled around the ‘neck’ of the brooch. It then bends round behind the main central section of the brooch before bending back towards the front of the brooch, in the area where the missing ‘head’ would have been.

Length 36.6mm, width 25.8mm, thickness 3.5mm, weight 11.89g

Ref: Compare the dragonesque brooches recorded in Hattatt, page 351, figure 210, especially brooch 155 which has similar decoration.