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The Modern Antiquarian Forum » Shropshire » Beautiful gold Shropshire sun pendant |
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Rhiannon 5291 posts |
Mar 04, 2020, 20:42
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It's to go on show in Shrewsbury in November, and eventually end up near the Mold cape in the British Museum. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/mar/04/british-museum-acquires-3000-year-old-shropshire-sun-pendant What a fantastically fine, beautifully etched design. It's only about 5 centimeters long. How would you do that without your glasses on?! (I guess people of that era hadn't ruined their eyesight staring at computers all the time). Neil Wilkin, the BM's Bronze Age curator, says it's the best thing to have emerged from the dirt in a century. "All the correct procedures were adhered to in that it was reported to the local finds liaison officer who notified the coroner and brought it to the British Museum under the treasure process." Which might suggest by omission that all the correct procedures were not adhered to in that it was snatched excitedly out of the ground the minute the finder saw the glint of gold, whereupon they danced and sang a little tune, and totally forgot to call an archaeologist to carefully examine the context of its long-time home . But who knows, the article declines to say. It was found somewhere boggy and it's suggested it was a jolly good offering, similar to other abandoned things in boggy places (but aren't those generally not gold, and more Iron age? I don't know).
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Rhiannon 5291 posts |
Mar 04, 2020, 20:46
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Ah I see Ryaner has already posted this in 'News'. I got overexcited you see. And that's from just seeing the photo. I'm not claiming I wouldn't have snatched it out of the ground myself, you know.
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thesweetcheat 6213 posts |
Mar 05, 2020, 07:39
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Well, that's a very lovely thing. I would definitely do a little dance if I found that, just before calling the FLO hotline. Nice to see Shropshire in some positive news, recently the headlines there are all flood-related. Mind you, we seem to be having a year of biblical-type problems so far, floods, plagues, locusts in the handwash aisle, etc. Perhaps it's time for us to be making offerings to the Gods ourselves. If everyone chucked their smartphones in the nearest pond, perhaps the sun would come out, the flood waters would recede and the sick would rise from their beds. I reckon our ancestors were onto something.
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Edited Mar 05, 2020, 07:44
Mar 05, 2020, 07:41
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"Which might suggest by omission that all the correct procedures were not adhered to in that it was snatched excitedly out of the ground the minute the finder saw the glint of gold, whereupon they danced and sang a little tune, and totally forgot to call an archaeologist to carefully examine the context of its long-time home . But who knows, the article declines to say." Oh Rhiannon, how can you have so little faith?! However, as an aside, The One Show are a bunch of knobs. In 2007 they excitedly aired a massive detecting rally at Durobrivae/Water Newton live over two nights without explaining the downside and now they've featured treasure hunting over 2 nights with the same omission. The consequent damage they've done must be massive. As for using their glasses, it is thought that children were used for fine gold work.
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tjj 3606 posts |
Edited Mar 05, 2020, 17:59
Mar 05, 2020, 10:26
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thesweetcheat wrote: Well, that's a very lovely thing. I would definitely do a little dance if I found that, just before calling the FLO hotline. Nice to see Shropshire in some positive news, recently the headlines there are all flood-related. Mind you, we seem to be having a year of biblical-type problems so far, floods, plagues, locusts in the handwash aisle, etc. Perhaps it's time for us to be making offerings to the Gods ourselves. If everyone chucked their smartphones in the nearest pond, perhaps the sun would come out, the flood waters would recede and the sick would rise from their beds. I reckon our ancestors were onto something. Hahaha! Yes indeed tsc, I know you are only partly joking. Now international travel has been slowed right down because of the coronavirus (which hasn't as yet touched any children) it does feel that the gods are Very Angry. Not sure if it was mentioned in the other posts but there was also another gold artefact (perhaps two) that had been wrapped in lead before being sunk in bogland - clearly an offering that was never intended to be found. As it has now, it will go to Shrewsbury Museum as well. Nigel I agree with you to some extent about the One Show, banal and superficial on most levels but occasionally coming up with a gem of a nature piece or an insightful human interest story. I did see the piece about this find the other evening and was genuinely awed. PS: And, uncool though it is to admit, I do like Matt Baker - 'a very nice young man'.
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Mar 05, 2020, 11:42
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No issues with the show except on this issue June, I like it.
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amd 28 posts |
Jun 07, 2020, 09:49
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This has got the cogs going on how it was manufactured and decorated. They don't say if it is solid gold throughout or has some base metal substructure. I picked up a copy of Susan Young's 'The Work of Angels: Masterpieces of Celtic Metalwork: 6th to 9th Centuries', full of brooches, pins and bowls all featuring astounding decoration. The book has a 40 page section on techniques of the metalsmiths, and two things leapt out at me: First was how much casting was involved in decoration, using clay moulds of models (possibly lost wax). There are examples in the book of mould remnants for penannular brooches. Second was evidence of animal bones with fine incised decoration. I don't think they say it in the book (they concentrate on the bones providing practice surfaces and shareable design sources) but I imagine carving fine detail into bone, pressing softer materials into it to take on the decoration, then casting the result is going to give you very crisp detail.
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Jun 07, 2020, 12:28
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It'll look nice next to the Mold Cape. Wonder if the curators wear them when the museum is closed. I would.
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