File:Early medieval strap end (FindID 948479).jpg

English: An incomplete, early medieval, cast silver strap-end. In plan the surviving portion of the strap-end consists of an upper lozenge-shaped section, comprising the split attachment end of the artefact, which meets a lower, sub-oval, section at a narrow waist. The strap-end is broken at both its upper and lower terminals and bent just above the waist, making it a shallow convex curve in profile.

The upper lozenge-shaped section is split into two plates, between which is a small amount of concreted copper-alloy corrosion product. The top of both plates is pierced by a circular hole (c.1.6mm diameter) for a rivet. The upper plate's terminal has been lost so that only half of its rivet hole survives. The upper plate has a plain semi-circular area around the rivet hole and below this a cell with plain borders. The cell has reserved (unindented) decoration within a chip-carved background.

The decoration is formed of a triangle widening from a base flanked by two curved lines. The lines continue to form points in the upper corners of the cell before curving back down, crossing and meeting the opposite upper point of the triangle in a very simple interlace. Within the upper points are simple unreserved curls or foliate tendrils. There is a small crack running transversely across the lower part of the lozenge-shaped section of the strap-end, however, the plate is concreted in place to the lower plate.

The waist is 3.8mm wide and is slightly thicker than the lower section of the strap-end, but is otherwise plain.

The lower sub-oval section first widens from the waist with rounded corners before tapering in again. It terminates in a break running across this section. This lower section has a cell taking up the entire surviving section within a plain border. The cell contains a design picked out in reserved (uncarved) material against an incised and chip-carved background. This creates the zoomorphic design of an animal. The head of the animal is placed at the top of this section of the artefact and is seen from above. It has pointed ears and a muzzle that points upwards towards the waist of the strap-end. Below the head is a rounded body which, skewing perspective, has a leg to its left running almost the length of the surviving section. There may have been a second leg or tail at the bottom of this design in the lost portion of the strap end.

The upper surface of the strap-end has traces of gilding placed within the recessed portions of decoration. The rest of the front of strap-end is a mixture of dark green and silver. The reverse is flat and plain which is also dark green silver coloured.