File:Early medieval silver strap end (FindID 559742).jpg

English: Description: A fragment of an Anglo-Saxon silver strap-end of Gabor Thomas Class A (Thomas 2003, 2) consisting of the zoomorphic terminal only.

The fragment tapers from the broken edge to a rounded point. The upper incomplete edge has the lower part of what appears to be an openwork design, consisting of two symmetrical V-shaped notches with part of a central small rounded hole, resembling a rivet hole, between. The breaks appear worn. Below is an unusually elaborate animal-head terminal with engraved decoration leaving the features in relief. The usual oval ears with central inverted V-shapes are small and set close together, within a pair of inward-curving scrolls which end in circular lobes. These spring from the reserved border of the animal's head, as do a pair of downward-slanting eyebrows which do not quite reach the top of the nose. Above the top of the nose, and again slightly separated, is a reserved silver dot. There is a second, slightly smaller, reserved silver dot just below the terminal of the left-hand scroll, but apparently none in the right-hand dot. The top of the nose is a lozengiform lobe, and the rest of the nose flares gently to the tip. To either side is a reserved circular eye which merges with the border; above and below the eyes the reserved area of the border curves slightly out and then in again. There is a short silver rivet through the tip of the snout which is flush with the reverse and has a small head flush to the front; the total length of the rivet is 2.16mm. The engraved areas of decoration were probably originally inlaid with niello, but none is now visible. They do however retain some soil which may obscure any surviving niello.

There are scratch marks on the flat reverse; these are more apparent close to the longitudinal edges, one more than the other, and are short and diagonal in nature.

Dimensions: 21.81mm in length, 12.46mm in width tapering to 3.25mm in width, 1.790g in weight.

Discussion: Although this object is almost certainly a strap-end of Thomas's Class A, as only the zoomorphic terminal now survives the precise type within this class is uncertain. The openwork central panel is very unusual but is not unprecedented; openwork plates are known from Thomas's Class K (Thomas 2000, 126; especially one from York, cat. no. 1363, fig. 3.33E) and from some examples of Class A, Type 1 (Thomas 2000, cat. no. 291, fig. 3.2D, from Ipswich; also illustrated in West 1998, fig. 96.17) and cat. no. 441, fig. 3.10D, unprovenanced, BM acc. no. 1990,0706.5) Also compare IOW-B59403 and SF-3CD4F1, which both have openwork elements coupled with the usual Class A type of zoomorphic terminal.

Date: The use of the standard Class A type of zoomorphic terminal dates this strap-end fragment to the 9th century AD.