Anglo-Saxon brooches were worn from the 5th to the 11th centuries as essential fasteners for dresses and cloaks, they offer a vivid window into the social and artistic world of early medieval England. Made in bronze, silver, or gold, they evolved from early long forms, such as cruciform, small-long, and square-headed brooches which were influenced by Germanic migration-era styles. Other popular shapes included circular and disc types adorned with chip-carved patterns, animal interlace, gilding, and sometimes garnet inlay. Found largely in graves, these intricately crafted objects signalled status, regional identity, and shifting religious beliefs, serving not only practical functions but also acting as expressive markers of cultural connection and social hierarchy throughout the Anglo-Saxon period.
Anglo-Saxon Bronze Bow Brooch
£ 375.00
An Anglo-Saxon bronze bow brooch with a decorated, trefoil head. The brooch has a large head-plate with crescent-shaped wings on three sides, known as trefoil head. This leads to a short, arched bow that tapers into an elongated flaring foot-plate. The reverse is undecorated and there are traces of where the pin – now missing – would have been. The wings have retained their original pleasant pattern of small crescents that stop at the border of the head-plate.
Condition: Very good. Signs of wear such as tarnsishing, there is no pin for fastening on the back. Lovely patinaton over the whole of the brooch.
| Weight | 12.18 g |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | L 5.7 x W 2.5 cm |
| Metal | Bronze |
| Region | Central Europe |
Reference: For a similar item: The British Museum, London, item 1907,1219.2
