File:Early-Medieval Trefoil Brooch (FindID 276198).jpg

English: Incomplete copper alloy Late Early-Medieval (c.875-950) Viking Trefoil brooch, decorated in the Borre interlacing or knotwork style. It is missing its catchplate and lug/ pin attachment on the reverse. It measures 59.10x53.63x6.70mm and weighs 35.64g.

The brooch has moulded decoration to the front within a double-strand border, the ribs of which are narrow. The decoration consists of a central raised triangle 'boss' 4.67mm high above the surface of the brooch, each corner of which appears to have a (worn) zoomorphic terminal. Surrounding the triangle is a triple-stranded raised ring, the central strand of which is thicker than the outer two. Equally spaced around this ring are three facing animal heads, cat-like in appearance and triangular in shape but with identifiable features - a prominent snout, two circular eyes and large triangular ears (the snout and ears comprising the three corners of the basic triangle shape). From below the ears a double-strand band arches over the head, crossing the ring. The flat top of the head is joined to the central raised triangle 'boss' by a group of four thin vertical ribs, which cross the double-stranded arch.

From these animal heads, the interlace below extends into the three arms of the brooch. The snout of each animal rests on another ring (which is open at the bottom edge) and is probably double-stranded, although most of the ring is obscured by other moulded decoration. It is flanked either side by a group of ?three transverse narrow ribs crossing the ring. Beyond to either side is a gripping limb. Further probable gripping limbs are apparent lower down around and across the ring, however wear has significantly obscured this towards the end of each brooch arm. The bottom edge of each ring does not continue in a circle but extends vertically (as a double-strand) over the double-strand edge of the brooch. An arching double-strand extends over the top of this just inside the double-strand brooch edge.

The brooch is very worn in its more prominent areas (the central triangle 'boss', the animal's snouts, some of the gripping limbs), which are now close to their original brassy/ bronze hue. In contrast, the sunken areas (in particular inside the central ring and between animal heads and the smaller ring) are filled with a bright bluey-green bronze disease.

The brooch is flat to the reverse (with a triangular hollowing behind the central boss on the front) and traces of solder towards the end of each arm. This would have carried a fixing for the catchplate and probably two alternative fixings for the pin on the two remaining arms. Their absence hint at re-use of the object, or at least its ceasing to be a brooch during its 'lifespan'.

A 'third' attachment point is characteristic of a non-insular object, indicating this is a Viking object made in, and imported from, Scandinavia. Dr Tim Pestell at Norwich Castle Museum comments: This trefoil is something special, and as an imported Scandinavian brooch it is really quite interesting. Its best parallels are in Maixner (B Maixner, 2005, Die gegossenen kleeblattformigen Fibeln der Wikingerzeit aus Skandinavien, Universitatsforschungen zur Prahistorischen Archaeologie Band 116 (Bonn)), Taf. 49 Nrs 6-8 (Typ Z 1.2) and Nrs. 11-12 (Typ Z 1.3). The closest parallels are Typ Z 1.2 with a very similar example being Maixner's Kat. Nr. 402, a grave-find from Grundby, Ksp. Vallby, Sodermanland, Sweden. Typ Z 1.2 has a distribution in Sweden and Norway and features decoration in a Borre style. There is no parallel on this database for a trefoil brooch in the Borre style. Kershaw (2015, 88-89; fig. 6.1) confirms this identification by Maixner type when publishing this object.