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The Shropshire bulla

Unknown, 1000

This remarkable gold pendant is one of the most significant Bronze Age objects ever discovered in Britain.

The bulla (an antiquarian term derived from the Latin for bubble) was found by a metal detectorist in Shropshire in 2018.

An unknown artist made the bulla around 1000BC. It is skilfully crafted in sheet gold from four separate components and has a hollow centre. The final form creates the illusion that the pendant was draped over the cord that suspended the piece around the wearer’s neck.

The exquisite designs on the bulla, particularly on the most elaborately decorated side, are strongly suggestive of solar symbolism, a key element of Bronze Age cosmology. The radiating patterns of triangles are a well-established motif in solar imagery on objects found in Britain and Continental Europe from this time.

Thanks to the extremely high quality of the craftsmanship, the Shropshire bulla can be considered alongside other masterpieces of the same period from France and Germany. It now becomes an object of outstanding significance in the British Museum’s European Bronze Age collection.

More information

Title of artwork, date

The Shropshire bulla, 1000

Date supported

2020

Medium and material

Metal comprised of 80% gold with 14-16% silver, the rest being copper. The bulla contains a dark brown/black material, which may consist of soil and possibly the remains of original suspension materials or additionally original organic contents.

Dimensions

3.67 x 4.74

Total cost

250000

Content note: This object record is part of our archive and has not been updated since it was first published. It may contain inaccurate information or outdated language. Please get in touch if you think this record should be amended.

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