Copper-alloy, 6.30 grams, 33.58 mm. Circa late 9th - early 10th century AD. An unusual form of Anglo-Scandinavian brooch with herringbone patterning on each of the arms, enclosed within a double border. The central triangular panel is left plain. The trefoil brooch was one of the characteristic female costume accessories of the later Viking period, usually decorated with animal designs; the herringbone pattern on this example may replicate the surface of the pattern-welded sword-blade. Reference: for Anglo-Scandinavian trefoil brooches see Roesdahl, E., Graham-Campbell, J., Connor, P. & Pearson, K., The Vikings in England, Anglo-Danish Viking Project, London1981 p.26 item B8 and Read, B. Metal Artefacts of Antiquity, Vol.1, Langport, 2001, items.776-7. Very fine condition.

Copper alloy, 7.21 grams, 27.33 mm. Circa late 10th century AD. A beautiful gilt bronze brooch with cloisonné enamel in dark blue, white and yellow. The rim bears seven lobed extensions, five with the enamelled ‘cabochons’ still present. This distinctive type of brooch was produced in England during the late 10th and 11th centuries, marking the re-introduction of enamelling technology. Reference: for glazing see Backhouse, J., Turner, D.H. & Webster, L. The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art 966-1066, London, 1984, p.136 and cf. the Anglo-Saxon disc brooch from Lexden, Colchester (Essex) of similar construction. Very fine condition.

Copper-alloy, 8.14 grams, 29.80 mm. 9th-10th century AD. A Viking period plate brooch based on a cruciform design, this example has a central cross formed by four circular piercings, with four interstitial bifurcated sections bounded by raised v-shaped bars. The spring-lugs and bar are still in place, as is the attachment point of the catchplate. Reference: Hattatt, R. Ancient Brooches and Other Artefacts, Oxford, 1989, p.223 item 1700. Good very fine condition. Ex Bonham's.

Copper-alloy, 61.37 grams, 52.61 mm. 9th-10th century AD. The animal-head brooch form is a highly specialized derivative of the Late Roman supporting-arm brooch, whose sub-triangular form it echoes. This piece is cast in two pieces – the decorative upper, hollow casting is attached to a plain back-plate with spring-lugs and catchplate intact. The upper face is divided by a heavy, cast rib with zoomorphic ornament in the outer panels, placed symmetrically about the median rib. The corners of the wider end are reinforced with heavy lobed ‘ears’. The side panels are decorated with zones of ribbed interlace ornament. The upper-end panel bears a rectangular panel of linear interlace; the lower-end panel or muzzle is plain. Gilding remains across a large part of the upper surface. Reference: Franceschi, G., Asger, J. & Magnus, B. Menneseker, Guder og Masker i Nordisk Jernalderkunst Bind1, Silkeborg, 2005, figs.130-1. Very fine condition.

Copper-alloy, 5.25 grams, 22.21 mm. Circa late 10th century AD. A beautiful gilt bronze brooch with enamel cloisonné decoration in blue, red, green and white. The design is a standard La Tene pattern of a central triangle whose apices extend to form the borders of three fields, each with a double volute end. Germanic (Anglo-Saxon, Frankish and Scandinavian) craftsmen made almost no use of enamelling as a decorative technique; in the 7th c. AD the art was introduced by contact with Byzantine craftsmen. Among the Romano-Britons and Irish, enamelling had remained a standard form of metallic surface decoration. The 10th c. efflorescence of enamel decoration stems from changing tastes, perhaps connected to religious reform but more probably due to the increasing difficulty in obtaining other materials (e.g. millefiori) which had been the preferred Germanic media for several centuries. Experiments and increased confidence with glazing extended also to the production of glazed floor-tiles, such as those found at Winchester. Reference: for glazing see Backhouse, J., Turner, D.H. & Webster, L. The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art 966-1066, London, 1984, p.136 and cf. the Anglo-Saxon disc brooch from Lexden, Colchester (Essex) of similar layout and construction. Very fine condition with full enamel and some gilding remaining. Ex old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 5.39 grams; 44.65 mm. 11th-15th century AD. A good example of a repoussé annular brooch, formed as a domed ring with inner and outer flanges. The outer flange is decorated with a series of repoussé pellets, with four large, equally-spaced pellets on the ring. Incised linear decoration is added between the larger pellets. The plain inner flange is pierced by the central hole, and a second lateral hole accepts the flat copper-alloy pin which is still intact. Brooches of this type were a common fashion of the eastern Baltic from the late Viking age through to the later medieval period. Reference: Criciuviene, E., Ziemgaliai - The Semigalians, Riga, 2005, p.187-9, Jakstaiciai grave 5. Extremely fine condition. Ex European collection.

Copper-alloy, 5.40 grams; 46.75 mm. Circa 11th-15th century AD. A standard eastern Baltic form of annular brooch with a dished medial ring or 'torus' formed by the repoussé tecnique whereby the metal is worked from the reverse face. The narrow outer flange is decorated with a series of close-packed repoussé pellets. The inner flange is pierced by the central hole, with an offset second hole to accept the round-section copper-alloy pin. Brooches of this type were a common fashion of the eastern Baltic from the late Viking age through to the later medieval period. Reference: Criciuviene, E., Ziemgaliai - The Semigalians, Riga, 2005, p.187-9, Jakstaiciai grave 5. Extremely fine condition. Ex European collection.

Copper-alloy, 5.71 grams, 30.79 mm. Circa 9th - 10th century AD. A very unusual type of equal-arm brooch. A central vesica-shaped feature is surrounded by eight lobed extensions, each with a central triple ring-and-dot motif. Complete with hinge and catch plate in situ. Reference: West, S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Material from Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998, fig.22.23. Very fine condition. Found East Yorkshire. Ex. Ashord collection.