Mount, for bell shrine

This bronze mount for a bell shrine was found at Inchaffray Abbey in Perthshire. The site was once an island, on which an abbey was founded in 1200. This shrine is earlier, dating from between 1000 and 1200.

The mount is in an openwork design ending in two animal heads. It was cast in bronze, and then inlaid with silver and niello. It is now broken, and seems to have been wrenched and twisted in opposite directions.

Bells were used by clergy, especially those from the Irish Christian tradition. They were carried by missionaries, and many were later venerated as relics. This example is decorated in an Irish version of a Scandinavian art style.

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