A silver gilt strap end decorated with fantastic beasts on either side has been discovered in Hampshire, England. It is one of 45,581 archaeological finds were recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) in 2021.
The strap end dates to the 14th century and is 27.6mm in length. The Portable Antiquities Scheme gives more details about the unusual creatures depicted on it:
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The front has a long-necked hybrid beast or gryllus standing left, with two hind legs and a feathery downward-hanging tail visible at the rear and a long neck, with a human face and hair at the front, curving up and back to the right over the creature’s back. The front of the body and base of the neck are shrouded in drapery and there is a fine hatched background behind the head. The top of the panel has a trefoil pointed arch in gothic style. The panel on the reverse is rectangular, with a dog or hound displayed with rear end, legs and tail in the lower left corner and the head at the top in the middle.
Image courtesy of the Portable Antiquities Scheme
They also note that the style of decoration is comparable to mythological beasts drawn in illuminated manuscripts of the 14th century. While the interior of the strap end is hollow, the researchers found inside it traces of fibres from a cloth belt.
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The item was found by Barry Cole while metal-detecting. The Hampshire Cultural Trust hopes to acquire the strap end so that it can be displayed in a local museum.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme recently released its Annual Report for 2021. The report notes how 2,665 individuals found items that year, with most of these finds (96%) done by people metal-detecting. The Portable Antiquities Scheme database was accessed by 381,021 unique visitors in 2021, where they could freely access information on over 1,608,000 objects.
Image courtesy of the Portable Antiquities Scheme
“The British Museum is proud of its role running the Portable Antiquities Scheme and overseeing the administration of the Treasure Act 1996 in England,” says Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum. “It is fantastic that in 2021 so many finds have been recorded and that many of the most important have been acquired by museums for public benefit, so they can be seen and enjoyed by people across the whole of the country.”
More than 45,000 finds recorded on the PAS database (https://t.co/sIC8QipQqS) in 2021. The Minister confirmed DCMS funding to develop a new version of the database in coming years. pic.twitter.com/jTr4DdE9WJ
A silver gilt strap end decorated with fantastic beasts on either side has been discovered in Hampshire, England. It is one of 45,581 archaeological finds were recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) in 2021.
The strap end dates to the 14th century and is 27.6mm in length. The Portable Antiquities Scheme gives more details about the unusual creatures depicted on it:
The front has a long-necked hybrid beast or gryllus standing left, with two hind legs and a feathery downward-hanging tail visible at the rear and a long neck, with a human face and hair at the front, curving up and back to the right over the creature’s back. The front of the body and base of the neck are shrouded in drapery and there is a fine hatched background behind the head. The top of the panel has a trefoil pointed arch in gothic style. The panel on the reverse is rectangular, with a dog or hound displayed with rear end, legs and tail in the lower left corner and the head at the top in the middle.
They also note that the style of decoration is comparable to mythological beasts drawn in illuminated manuscripts of the 14th century. While the interior of the strap end is hollow, the researchers found inside it traces of fibres from a cloth belt.
The item was found by Barry Cole while metal-detecting. The Hampshire Cultural Trust hopes to acquire the strap end so that it can be displayed in a local museum.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme recently released its Annual Report for 2021. The report notes how 2,665 individuals found items that year, with most of these finds (96%) done by people metal-detecting. The Portable Antiquities Scheme database was accessed by 381,021 unique visitors in 2021, where they could freely access information on over 1,608,000 objects.
“The British Museum is proud of its role running the Portable Antiquities Scheme and overseeing the administration of the Treasure Act 1996 in England,” says Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum. “It is fantastic that in 2021 so many finds have been recorded and that many of the most important have been acquired by museums for public benefit, so they can be seen and enjoyed by people across the whole of the country.”
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