Copyright Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust
Close up of boar on helmet from Benty Grange
Dimensions : Length of boar 9.5cm.
Site name : Benty Grange
Site type : Burial site
Time period : Anglo-Saxon
Material : Gemstone; Bronze; Gold; Metal
Object type : Grave goods; Personal item
Museum number : J93.1189
The unique feature of the Benty Grange helmet, compared to other Anglo-Saxon helmets, is the boar on its crest. Though often referred to in contemporary literature, there are no other surviving examples of a boar crested helmet in Europe.
When sent for conservation in 1948, much of the boar was covered in corroded iron. Some of corrosion was there when the helmet was excavated in 1848. Since then, more corrosion had developed over the body and back legs of the boar.
During mechanical cleaning of the boar, it broke. This allowed the inside structure of the figure to be seen. The discovery that the boar was hollow was a surprise. The two D-shaped halves and the small gap between them were seen for the first time. It is thought that the gap was used as a setting for a crest of boar bristles. However, nothing was found in the gap to confirm this.
The different parts of the boar were taken apart to find out how it was made. This was further tested in the making of the replica. For example, it was noted that the gilt studs were raised above the iron surface of the boar, with a gap in-between. It was suggested that there was another layer of material on top of the iron and under the heads of the studs.
Bibliography :
Bruce-Mitford, R. and Luscombe, M. R. , 1974
Glossary:
Anglo-Saxon
Iron Age
Related objects
The boar on the replica Benty Grange helmet
Helmet from Benty Grange
Pieces of the boar from the replica Benty Grange helmet
Two boar tusks and two pieces of haematite from Liffs Low
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