Gold, 1.75 grams, 15.04 mm. 6th-9th century AD. A fragment from a Scandinavian gold object. Its barrel-shaped, biconical shape could also suggest that it may have been a bead-spacer or suspension loop for a high-status pendant such as those on the Ixworth and Wilton crosses. The punched decoration is unusual: the outer borders are composed of squares; next to these are triangles set vertically; the median feature is a series of opposed triangles leaving a reserved lozenge design, at the upper and lower edges of which are c-shaped elements with a reserved dot. Suspension loops are more often ribbed or covered in filigree at this period, although plain examples are known (e.g. Ixworth cross). Reference: Webster, L. & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.26-7. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old collection, found continental Europe.