Browse Items (91 total)

Ashmolean Museum inventory no. AN1909.517. c. 550-650. Gold, garnet, glass. Pendant, elongated decahedron, decorated with beaded gold wire, cloisonné work and inlaid with blue glass and garnet. Discovered Forest Gate, Essex.

Ashmolean Museum inventory no. AN1909.196. Gold, silver, garnet. 6th century gilt disc brooch with cloisonné work and inlaid garnets. Discovered Faversham, Kent.

2009CB5776_jpg_l. Boxes like this are known to have been kept in cathedral treasuries. They were probably used as containers for the host (the consecrated bread) and the material reflects their important function. The unique narrative images at the…

2009CA7155_jpg_l. Pectoral crosses were worn on a chain or cord around the neck, and acted as charms to protect the wearer. The pectoral cross was commonly worn by bishops and abbots in the medieval period. The figure style and the particular…

2006AM6059_jpg_l. This panel representing the Crucifixion was probably made in the late 10th century or early 11th century in England. The representation of the Crucifixion with Longinus and Stephaton alone, without the Virgin and St. John, as on…

2008BT1827_jpg_l. The inlaid gold and filigree jewellery of the seventh century was largely replaced in the early eighth century by silver work as a consequence of the increasing scarcity of gold. The focus on silver gave rise to new decorative…

2008BV1261_jpg_l. The monumental free standing cross was a phenomenon unique to the British Isles and Ireland, and this is one of the finest surviving examples. Carved with great skill, the decoration unites interlace patterns of the British Isles…

2007BM3753_jpg_l. The ornate and colourful decoration on this brooch consists of cloisons (cells) inlaid with garnets and blue glass paste. The front is further enriched with filigree wires. The garnets themselves were possibly obtained by sea trade…

2007BM3751_jpg_l. The Milton Jewel is one of the finest examples of Anglo-Saxon brooches of the period, with a sophisticated design carried out in a combination of materials. The use of cloisons inlaid with garnet, filigree knot work decoration on…

2006AD1299_jpg_l. This is a head of an Anglo-Saxon tau cross in walrus ivory. The tau cross is a form of crozier head, named for its shape after the Greek letter T. The winged seraph is a reference to the vision of Isaiah in which singed seraphim…