Merovingian composite brooch

Front-plate of a Frankish gold disc-brooch, twisted wire rim and filigree dec. beaded wires set double in S motifs, and single in annulets. In centre a raised cloisonné setting with seed pearls around edge, empty rect., cells radiating inside these from empty central cell. Around edge plain raised cells alternate round and rect. mostly empty - one contains red opaque bead with white trail, 2 more cabochon blue glass settings. Backplate and rim missing. Pointing in from rect, cells are little triangular cells, empty except for one with flat green glass. Battered.Proc. Hist. Soc. Lanc. and Cheshire IX, p. 277?According to the Gatty Slip, this is likely to be the \ornament found near Cologne [...] 2.5 inches in diameter in gold with raised collets or settings for receiving stones of which three were in place\" which Joseph Mayer exhibited at a meeting of the Historical Society of Lancashire and Cheshire in 1857 (Proceedings 1856-57 277). The Gatty Slip assigns the object to the Rolfe Collection with a question mark. – B.B."