Copper-alloy, 125 grams, 90.29 mm (cheek piece) 49.42 mm (strap fitting). 10th-11th century AD. An elegantly designed cheek piece from the bridle of a horse. The assemblage comprises a single openwork casting for the cheek piece and a separate looped fitting for the reins. The looped fitting is a substantial D-section curve extending to two flat plates, pierced to take an attachent rivet. The junction of the loop and plate is decorated with geometric detailing and a facetted section. The cheek piece comprises a pair of addorsed serpentine heads with elaborate lappets which extend in a radiating series from the cest of the head across the void to rejoin the neck where they bifurcate. The lower lappet in each series bears two transverse ribs towards the lower end. Similar ribs mark the point where the necks join the D-shaped lower hoop to which the loop fitting is attached. The decorative plan is reminiscent of the Viking Ringerike Style which is found on some items from the recent Dublin excavations. Reference: cf. the carved wooden finial reproduced in Wallace, P & Ó Floinn, R. (eds.) Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland: Irish Antiquities, Dublin, 2002 plate 6:8. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old London collection.