Wmid-3bdb15 - 11th Century Bridle cheek piece

An incomplete worn zoomorphic bridle cheek piece of Late Early Medieval dating (11th century). Less than 25% of the cheek piece is present. The fragment is openwork and represents one arm of a pair from the cheekpiece. The arm probably depicts an outward-facing Ringerike-style bird-like creatures, with beaked heads and raised wings, entwined with tendrils or possibly serpents with a separate openmouthed head facing inwards and upwards. The serpent/tendril head on this example flanks the break which is on the edge of a of the central perforation. highly stylised animal head forming a boss at the base of a broken flat-sectioned projection for a missing loop at the apex. The details on the face are carried out in moulded relief and finished with engraving. The reverse is flat. For more information, please visit the online database record, available at: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1063770