Strickland Brooch

Strickland Brooch

Strickland Brooch as displayed in the British Museum
Material	Silver and niello
Size	11.2 cm in diameter
Created	Mid 9th Century AD
Present location	British Museum, London
Registration	M&ME 1949,0702.1

The Strickland Brooch is an Anglo-Saxon silver and niello brooch dated to the mid 9th century, now held by the British Museum.^[1]

Although its exact provenance is unknown, it is regarded by scholars as a rare and important artefact from the early mediaeval period in England.

Description

The Strickland Brooch is similar in appearance to the Fuller Brooch, also held by the British Museum. Both brooches are circular in shape, made from sheet silver and inlaid with niello and gold. The Strickland Brooch is decorated with highly complex zoomorphic patterns that are deeply carved within the quatrefoil, whereas the Fuller Brooch is ornamented in a more anthropomorphic style. In the case of the Strickland Brooch, the design includes a series of Trewhiddle style dogs interspersed between canine-like heads.

History of ownership

For a long time, the brooch belonged to the Strickland family of Yorkshire. Sold by Mrd W. H. Strickland at a Sotheby's auction in 1949 to an American buyer, it was denied an export license and was acquired by the British Museum in the same year. The brooch is considered a masterpiece from the museum's Anglo-Saxon collection and has played an important part in demonstrating the sophisticated artistry of English silversmiths during the early Middle Ages.^[2]

References

1. British Museum Highlights
2. British Museum Collection

Further reading

• R.L.S. Bruce-Mitford, 'Late Saxon disc-brooches' in Dark-Age Britain (London, Methuen, 1956), pp. 171–201
• D.M. Wilson, Anglo-Saxon Art (London, Thames and Hudson, 1984)
• L. Webster, Anglo-Saxon art: A new history (London, British Museum Press, 2012)
• S. Marzinzik, Masterpieces: Early Medieval Art (London, British Museum Press, 2013)