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Detail of the Hunterston brooch

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found at Hunterston, Ayrshire

Detail of the Hunterston brooch
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This silver gilt brooch with amber settings was found at Hunterston in Ayrshire. Made around 700, it is one of the finest products of its time. This picture is a detail of the reverse of the right terminal.

The reverse of the brooch has cast silver gilt panels decorated in a deep imitation chip-carved technique. The decoration consists of trumpet spirals filled with bird beaks and heads. These details are reminiscent of ornament in Northumbrian manuscripts.

The silver gilt panels at the back of the brooch would not, of course, have been visible when the owner wore the brooch. The Hunterston brooch is not unique here: some Anglo-Saxon brooches also have panels at the back.

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