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Let's visit #Bulgaria today, with this perfectly plain 4th/5thC #silver #buckle from #Sofia. A classic design example of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it': you could rivet it to leather & use it today (but that's not recommended for conservation reasons) https://bit.ly/2xEtoGq
The #buckle is less elaborate than other objects in this thread, but its relatable functionality makes it no less poignant. We've all used a buckle in the exact same way that its wearer used this one: that simple act of fastening links us across the centuries. #MuseumFromHome
To #Latvia today. This 11thC #armlet is from Aizkraukle. It's #bronze, which takes on a #green patina over time; but it was once a warm golden colour. Chunky bronze #jewellery was fashionable in the #EarlyMedieval #Baltic & they were *great* at making it. https://bit.ly/3bO2dbj
The #armlet was #cast = made by pouring molten metal into a #mould. It was hard to cast ornate shapes, as the mould had to be filled before the metal cooled & began to solidify. This armlet had an Extra Difficulty Level because it is subtly curved/concave, like a little channel.
#Bronze was brittle, so embellishing your jewellery after casting was risky. The armlet's maker wasn't daunted though. Look at the fineness of its #geometric ornament, each mark made from a different #tool - dots, triangles, rectangles, rings - punched one-by-one into the metal.
Today, our tour of #EarlyMedieval #Europe reaches #Romania. This 9th/10thC #brass #brooch is inlaid with #jewel-like #enamel. The design was carved out, the channels filled with #glass powder, & the brooch heated. The powder melted, then cooled solid. https://bit.ly/3dQt4VJ
The design is probably #vegetal, a swirl of #palms and #tendrils perhaps easier to spot in this illustration. #Plant motifs were popular in #Europe at this time, recurring in the art of #Carolingian & #Ottonian lands - from where this brooch may have originated. #MuseumFromHome
Today: #Russia. This unusual #pendant from #Perm combines two very different #creatures. At the top, two #horse heads. Beneath, a row of #duck's feet. In parts of E #Europe & the #Baltic, tradition holds that ducks played a role in the world's creation. https://bit.ly/3bPmNYF
Visiting #Belgium today with this truly amazing #ship's #figurehead from the River Schelde at #Appels. It's *fizzing* with fascinating tales, not least bc it's a *very* rare example of a large #wooden ( #oak) artefact to survive from #EarlyMedieval #Europe https://bit.ly/3aIeayZ
Did you think ' #Viking' when you saw it? You're not alone. It was thought to be a Viking ship's prow when found in the 1930s. But later #Carbon14 analysis @britishmuseum reassigned it to the 4th-6thC. It still turns up as 'Viking' in corners of the internet, but now you know
What #beast is it? Long-necked, earless, goggle-eyed, with a beak-like mouth of #teeth, it's ambiguous enough to fuel any nightmare. The last image is my favourite, allowing us to peer (safely) inside the gaping #jaws, lined with razor-sharp teeth. Intimidating from any angle.
Another clue that the Appels #figurehead is earlier than #VikingAge is its #chipcarved decoration, like upside-down #pyramids. The same technique was used on #LateRoman #metalwork, shown on the #buckle in the next pix. Such facets caused glittering, contrast, texture - & pretty.
