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Twelve silver brooches

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From St Ninian's Isle, Dunrossness, Shetland

Twelve silver brooches
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These 12 silver brooches, most with gilding, were found in a hoard containing 28 silver objects and part of a porpoise's jaw, buried in a ruined chapel on St Ninian's Isle, at Dunrossness, on Shetland. The objects probably belonged to a Pictish chief.

The penannular silver brooches with movable pins are highly decorated on their terminals, hoops and pins. They have settings for coloured glass, which survive in some cases. Some of the brooches show signs of wear.

The metalwork found in the St Ninian's Isle treasure shows the skill and accomplishment of Pictish craftsmen. Pictish brooches often have distinctive animal ornament. The use of simple oval pinheads contrasts with contemporary Irish penannular brooches.

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