I Dig Sheffield | Digging Around Sheffield and the Peaks

Site name : Benty Grange
Site type : Burial site

Time period : Anglo-Saxon
Material : Gold; Gemstone; Metal
Object type : Grave goods; Personal item
Museum number : 1995.260

The eyes of this replica boar are made of 18 carat gold set with garnets. The settings are made of two strips of gold forming the oval of the eye. They have beaded gold wire around the top. The beading was made by rolling a specially made steel tool over the soft gold surface. This was much easier than fixing individual beads of gold to the wire. This technique is particularly good when using pure gold as this is softer and easier to work.

The garnets are oval shaped to fit the settings. The top and bottom of each garnet was specially shaped. They have an outward curve with a slight ridge along the top of the curve. This catches the light so that the eyes appear to glow. However, once they were fitted into the settings with beeswax, they did not catch the light. So a technique used widely by Anglo-Saxon jewellers was used instead. A piece of hammered gold foil, patterned with small incised dots, was fitted into the settings behind the garnets. This catches and reflects the light coming through the garnets and provides the glow effect.

The eyes were then be attached to the boar, ready for fixing to the helmet.

Find out more...

Bibliography :
Bateman, T. , 1861
Bruce-Mitford, R. and Luscombe, M. R. , 1974

Glossary:
Anglo-Saxon
Garnet

Related objects
Pieces of the boar from the replica Benty Grange helmet
Boar from replica Benty Grange helmet
The boar on the replica Benty Grange helmet
Pin set from Cow Low

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