Casgliadau Arlein

Late Iron Age to Roman bronze enamelled vessel mount, probably of 1st century BC to 2nd century AD date

The cast mount is likely to be zoomorphic and is of sub-triangular form with a convex profile to accommodate the vessel curvature (suggesting a diameter of 140mm and with a weight of 31.4g) and is now incomplete and fragmentary, in two pieces. The mount is widest at the top edge (with a length of 50.6mm where it has a rim thickness of 3.5mm) and has broken through an attachment rivet at one corner. The rivet on the opposite side is broken but remains in place (with a diameter of 3.7mm). A third attachment rivet was located near the centre of the mount (4.0mm diameter, positioned 14.8mm below the top edge). It is possible that the rivets were decorative and dome-headed. The sides of the mount are convergent to a point (with a conjoined length of 43.1mm), perhaps originally with a gentle curve but now damaged. Above the point is a projecting and downward curving handle lug, perhaps slightly truncated (with a length of 18.6mm and giving an overall depth of 21.7mm) but unlikely to have formed a loop. The lug is oval sectioned with straight convergent sides (13.6mm wide and 9mm thick at its apex). The mount is decorated with an incised curvilinear motif around circular enamelled cells and symmetrical around the central vertical axis. Some of the design is now truncated and corroded but appears to have comprised a double angular rib defined by flanking grooves, probably forming a trumpet or droplet motif with the circular enamelled cell in the wider end. The enamel cells (of 8mm diameter) are of red enamel probably ‘sealing wax’ composition but contain a central pellet of dark-blue glass. The blue enamel is now raised above both the surrounding enamel and the copper alloy. The circular cells may have been intended to be zoomorphic eyes, staring from the mount and with the handle lug as a beak or stylised snout. The rear of the mount is undecorated. The surface is heavily-corroded and pitted with a mid, ‘olive’ green patina.

Vessel mounts of this form are not a commonly recovered artefact type and the handle lug is an unusual feature. It is possible that the mount with integral lug may be an unusual variation of tankard handles of contemporary date. The diameter of the vessel is similar to the diameter of tankards but handle lugs would be required on each side of the vessel rather than a single handle. It is possible, although unlikely that the mount is more heavily truncated or reworked and originally formed a handle. It is possible that the lug is a decorative feature, similar to decorative ‘beaks’ on Birdlip type brooches of 1st century AD date. The use of both red enamel probably favoured in the Iron Age and blue glass of Romanised technology, reinforces the suggested Late Iron Age to Early Roman date for the mount. An Iron Age to Roman vessel mount, recorded as a tankard mount, without a handle or lug was recovered from Chitterne in Wiltshire and recorded with PAS (BERK-A9109A).