This #MuseumMonday Curator Andy Ward shares photos of the Frankish Cloisonne Rosette-type Brooch.
Posted 4th September 2023
This lovely little object is a Frankish Cloisonne Rosette type Brooch. Modern scholarship has pushed the date of these from c. 480 - 610 AD to c. 520 - 610 AD. Similar objects can be found on swords, but these have filigree borders that are not found on the brooches.
Cloisonne is a type of metalwork decoration where coloured material including gems, garnets, glass, and enamel are held in place by metal strips or wire, normally of gold. This example has some of the garnets remaining in place.
This brooch, found at the Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Sarre and held by the The Kent Archaeological Society is on display at Maidstone Museums.