Inlaid rosette brooch

Jewelled silver disc brooch (Frankish), diam. 3 cm. Silver backplate and rim and cloisons. Normal catchplate and attachment for iron coil and pin (missing) - piece of thread preserved around coil. Catch and attachment made of doubled sheet metal, punched up through backplate, and open out like paper clips on inside to strengthen them. They show on inside where two garnets now missing. Silver gilt cloisons soldered in place, and also fixed by rivets (heads with wire collars show where garnets missing) apparently to an inner backplate, because they do not show on silver outer face. Pattern of central roundel flanked by 4 semi-circular cells leaving cross-pattern between, inside second roundel, and outer edge with 12 wedge shaped cells with rounded outer edges making corrugated pattern around edge. Several garnets and underlying paste missing, rest flat and set on foil most with large chequers enclosing small. (cf. M 7374 lost provenance). One or two may have plain foil backing.Continental brooch type; for a discussion on a rosette brooch from Finglesham by SCH. see Hawkes & Pollard 1981, 338. – B.B.