Trumpet brooches were amongst the most common of brooches developed in Britain during the Roman occupation. Trumpet-headed brooches, differing from the former slightly in style, were only varyingly less popular. The latter were formed into a more simplified T-shape and were thus cheaper to produce and purchase. Trumpet-headed brooches seemed to be more locally produced whilst the more elaborate trumpet brooches were reserved for the wide-spread elite. Having gained great popularity, varied forms of the trumpet head emerged during the late 2nd century, including the fan-headed type, like this fine example. Heads of the type were also very popular on knee brooches in central Europe at about the same time.
Romano-British Silver Fan-headed Trumpet Type Brooch
$312.78
A finely modelled Romano-British silver brooch of the trumpet type, featuring granular decorations. The head, altered from the iconic discoid, trumpet-like form, is composed of a large semi-circular, fan-shaped head plate. It then tapers into a flattened, ovate leg leading to a knob finial. The head and the leg are separated by two smaller semi-circular plates across the centre of the body. All the plates are embellished with a knurled border and a row of granules along the curved edges. A vertical row of granules decorates the middle of the leg, which is framed by a raised border. A coil spring, held by a central lug, has been attached to the underside of the head plate. The pin, unfortunately now missing, would have extended from the spring and secured by the well-preserved rectangular catch plate.
Provenance: Ex Cambridgeshire private collection, 1990's-2000's.
Condition: Fine condition. Chips to the semi-circular plates with some loss of granules. Pin now missing.
In stock
| Weight | 11.8 g |
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| Dimensions | L 3.7 x W 1.7 x H 1.6 cm |
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