Bredfield Brooch

Medieval

Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery

11th Century

Great disc brooches of this kind are extremely rare items of jewellery; fewer than fifteen are known to have been found in the British Isles, and the Bredfield Brooch, even when compared with similar objects, is impressively large. The object, which would certainly have been made for a member of the elite, is intricately decorated; in each of its four quarters, highly stylised creatures appear with long, sinuous bodies, oval-shaped eyes, snouts, tongues, and perhaps forked tails or feet.

• Medium: silver
• Dimensions: diameter 10.5cm; weight 35.12g
• Art Fund Grant: £3000 ( Total: £8,500)
• ArtFunded in: 2011
• Vendor: Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Provenance

Discovered in 2009 by a metal-detectorist at Bredfield in Suffolk.

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