Celtic Romano-British Enamelled Button-Like Mount, 1st-2nd Century

Description

Material: Bronze and enamelling

Period: Celtic/Roman Britain

Date: 1st-2nd century

Origin: Britain

Condition: Well preserved piece with most of the blue enamelling remaining and reverse lug intact. good patination

Description: Circular. button-shaped mount made of bronze with central raised finial surrounded by triangles of blue and probably white enamel in a floral pattern

Size and Weight: 27 x 13mm. 14.8g

References: Discussed in ‘Button Lines’ magazine. 2020 ‘British Button Society’ p26

Features and Provenance: A the time this fitment was made. buttons did not exist. clothing was fastened with pins. brooches or hooks made of bone and metals. Some brooches were round with a catch plate and a pin on the back to allow fastening. so a lug as per this example was a step forwards. What it was attached to we will never know. but it is thought that it would have had a strip of leather threaded through and tied as decoration or as a means of suspension of another article. It must have looked splendid when it was first made nearly two thousand years ago! 

Condition Summary. This varies with the age of the artefact and there are grades between

Extremely Fine (EF). Very slight traces of wear. all parts of pattern etc present. visible and clear

Very Fine (VF). Some signs of wear on the higher parts of the relief. all parts of pattern etc present. but may be worn

Fine (F). Wear on the artefact and parts of item and pattern etc may be missing or not visible