Gold Belt Buckle Sutton Hoo

I created a linocut illustration of the gold belt buckle discovered at sutton hoo s ship burial mound in 1939.

Gold belt buckle sutton hoo.

From the sutton hoo ship burial mound 1 england uk. Sutton hoo ship burial sutton hoo ship burial video the sutton hoo purse lid. Belt buckles go back at least to the iron age and a gold great buckle was among the items interred at sutton hoo primarily decorative shield on tongue buckles were common anglo saxon grave goods at this time elaborately decorated on the shield portion and associated only with men. Weighing more than 400 grams the buckle is actually a hollow box that opens at the back on a hinge beneath the loop.

The sutton hoo belt buckle. The trustees of the british museum. This magnificent buckle found in the ship burial was made of gold and weighs 412 7 grams. Made using over 400 grams of gold its intricate decoration shows 13 intertwining creatures inlaid with niello a black metal alloy.

The mourners at sutton hoo chose and arranged the. Constructed from several separate pieces its body forms a hinged box with an ingenious triple lock mechanism. Gold belt buckle hollow with cast ornament. The presence of the coin shaped blanks suggests that the number of coins was deliberately.

This spectacular gold buckle from the sutton hoo ship burial shows that the person commemorated there was of great importance. One such buckle found in a 7th century grave at finglesham kent in 1965 bears the image of a naked. The upper surface is covered entirely with zoomorphic interlace the design picked out in tiny punched circles and inlaid except on the loop in niello. The sutton hoo ship burial is one of the most significant archeological discoveries ever made.

It provides remarkable insights into early anglo saxon england. Gold belt buckle the metal and decoration on saxon s buckle reflected the wealth and status of their owner. Gold hollow with cast ornament. The intricate decoration comprises a web of 13 snakes predatory birds and long limbed.

Three large plain hemispherical bosses connect with sliding catches on the back plate which opens on a hinge. There was a purse among the burial goods which contained 37 gold coins 3 coin shaped blanks and 2 small gold ingots. This gold belt buckle is a masterpiece of early medieval craftsmanship made using over 400g of gold with an intricate decoration of intertwining creatures inlaid with niello a black metal alloy. The suttton hoo buckle is a superlative example of of this type of animal ornament which was popular with many germanic people at that time.

Unearthed suffolk treasures swept away misconceptions and. Situated on either side of the boss at the tip of the buckle two animals grip a.