Wmid-e521a8 - Early Medieval aestel

Description

A cast silver artefact comprising a three-dimensional representation of a fish-like animal, in two pieces. The main body and a separate tail. At the widest end is a head with an open mouth, the opening being rectangular in shape. The jaws are also rectangular, with the upper lip thicker than the lower lip. Drilled circular nostrils are present on the corners of the upper lip, with a larger circular recess between them. Two raised blue glass eyes sit in the centre of the head, with curved raised lines above and between them, suggestive of a nasal bridge and eyebrows. Two ears, made from a circular shape with a chevron inside a recessed field, are present on either side of the head. A ridge formed of semi-circles creates a backbone or crest along the midline of the creature’s back. The rest of the body is covered with crescent-shaped stamps, resembling fish scale. For more information, please visit the online database record available at: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/995918