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Antoinette Corbishley
12th April 2010 17:13

Sutton Hoo

 

I don't know if any of you caught David Dimbleby's recent series on Sunday evenings on BBC1 called 'Seven Ages of Britain', but I really enjoyed it.

The programs told the story of Britain's history through its generations of art and treasure, starting with the Roman invasion in 'Age of Conquest' and ending with contemporary art in the 'Age of Ambition'.

One of the programs in the series which particularly interested me examined some of the discoveries of Sutton Hoo.

Sutton Hoo is an important Anglo-Saxon burial site set high on the heath land above the river Deben in East Anglia. The site comprises of over fourteen barrows, the most significant being barrow one which was excavated in 1938-9 and revealed the remains of a large boat about 27m long. Uncovered within the boat was a truly amazing array of objects, and although no visible human remains were found, the treasures have been interpreted to belong to King Raedwald of Essex, buried in pagan memorial to him.

Sutton Hoo burial

One such object which David looked at in the program was the amazing Swedish-style decorated kings helmet unearthed within this barrow. It is not until you look closer at the helmet that you see that the nose and eyebrows are actually made up of a stylised bird shape. The body of the bird creating the bridge of the nose, while the wings of the bird make up the eyebrows. Fine lines seemingly the hairs of a moustache are actually the tail feathers, while the neck and head of the bird lay on the forehead leading up and facing a much be toothed dragon, creating the helmets crest. These subtle fine details create a decorative but very symbolic and powerful piece.

Helmet

Among the other Sutton Hoo treasures found dating to the 4th to 7th centuries AD that David admired, included a stunning gold cloak clasp with amazingly fine detail which cannot be truly appreciated without seeing it up close. The clasp, made up of two curved halves would be worn either side of the clock, joined in the middle with a chained pin, which would hold the two parts of the clock together. The decoration is a series of interlocking stepped squares, inlayed with perfectly cut blue glass and garnet probably imported from Afghanistan or India. The gold underneath the glass and garnet has been finely decorated with a beautifully executed criss-cross pattern which shows through the red and blue as a wonderful texture. Surrounding this almost mosaic effect is an intricate interweaving knot work pattern, of snake like animals, again inlaid with garnet. The rounded ends of the clasp again have beautifully worked interlocked animal like decoration, and fine gold work.

Cloak clasp

An amazing large gold belt buckle was also examined in the programme. Intricate abstract serpent likes animals interlace with each other, weaving in and out in an incredible complex clip-carved decorative pattern on the front of the main plate. The detail doesn't stop there however, within each serpent are tiny equally spaced lines running the length of its body, and so precise. The surface punched in three places to take three dome like buttons finely edged with a mill grain effect around each one. More interweaving knot work is employed in the solid tongue-plate and hoop.

Belt buckle

Lastly the decorative top part of a purse which would have hung from a waist-belt, and would have covered a now lost leather pouch was shown. The kidney-shaped gold frame encloses a sheet of horn which has been mounted with garnet filled cellwork of geometric shapes and animals. You can make out birds, horses and interlaced animals as well as on the lower left and right side of the piece, two men fending off wolves which are rearing up on either side of them. These images refer back to the Swedish-style helmet.

Purse Lid

It is amazing to think these technically brilliant masterpieces were crafted by hand with such artistic virtuosity so many centuries ago, and look so fresh today - these treasures are truly the work of a master goldsmith of their time.

Sutton Hoo is run by the National Trust so if this has wetted your appetite to see and learn more about its buried treasures, why not make a visit. Guided tours bring the history of the mounds to life and enables you to get a closer look, and there is an award-winning exhibition with replica Kings helmet (plus one the children can try on) along with original Anglo-Saxon treasures which are on loan from the British Museum, and a full-size reconstruction of the burial chamber itself where the treasure were found. I think I have been inspired to go back for a second look!

Here is a quiz from the Seven Ages of Britain series you might like to have a look at.

Antoinette Corbishley
 

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  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, North Barn, Fairclough Hall Farm, Halls Green, Weston, Hertfordshire, SG4 7DP, England
    Phone: +44 (0)1462 790565 Fax: +44 (0)1462 790140 enquiries@hkjewellery.co.uk
  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, 6/7 Green Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3JU, England.
    Phone: +44 (0)1223 461333 Fax: +44 (0)1223 365269 cambridge@hkjewellery.co.uk

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