File:Detail of enamel on zoomorphic (Duck) brooch of early Roman date, probably 2nd Century AD (FindID 68375-28049).jpg

English: Cast copper alloy, enameled and silver gilt zoomorphic (Duck) brooch of early Roman date, probably 2nd Century AD (100 - 200 AD).

 The body of the brooch is sub-ovoid (egg) shape in plan, with a convex bowed or D shaped profile. The back of the brooch is concave and hollow. The cross section is C shaped. It measures 29.4mm in length, 17.6mm in width, and is 5.2mm thick. The neck of the bird / duck is cast and has been broken. This decorative feature is sub-rectangular in plan and profile. It measures 7.8mm in length, 5.1mm in width, and is approximately 6.8mm thick. The brooch weighs 6.22 grams. 


 
 The pin of the brooch is broken at the hinge side and only a small part of it survives. It is sub-rectangular in both plan and profile, with slightly tapering edges. The cross section of the pin is also sub-rectangular. It measures 6.5mm length, 1.4mm width, and is 2.2mm thick. The pin was attached to the brooch by a hinge; formed from two integral perforated cast lugs and an axis bar which passed through both the lugs and the pin. This mechanism survives in a fragmentary and friable condition. The two cast lugs are sub-rectangular in shape and profile. Each measures 5.5mm in length, 1.2mm in width, and are 4.7mm thick. The axis bar is made of copper alloy and has a diameter of 1.8mm. 


 
 The catch plate of the brooch is also cast but has been badly abraded in the plough soil. All that remains of the catch plate is an integral sub rectangular lug, which measures 6mm in length and 1.9mm in width. 


 
 The bird / duck brooch has been highly decorated with a number of both cast and enameled features. 


 
 The most impressive of these are the enameled and gilt areas. These are arranged and described in four areas; the wings, spine, and tail. The decorations on the two wings mirror each other. Each wing decoration is formed from a linear panel (19.5mm x 6.8mm), which is divided into seven crescent shaped parts (feathers?). Each of these seven subdivisions is filled with either red or blue coloured enamel. The divisions between these panels are silver gilt, giving the impression of silver edged feathers. The spine of the duck is also formed from a narrower linear panel (15.6mm x 3.6mm). This is sub-divided again into a number of interlocking D shaped subdivisions. These are filled with alternating red and yellow pieces of enamel. Again, like the wings, the divisions between the panels have been gilt with a silver wash. The final piece of enamel decoration is the tail. This is formed from a sub-oval shaped panel (5.1mm x 7.3mm). The majority of this panel is filled with red enamel, although there are two circular sub panels of blue enamel. Again the areas without enamel have been silvered. 


 
 The other major piece of decoration is the cast neck and head. This has been damaged and now only the stub of the neck survives. The neck is in line with the spine area described above and projects 4.7mm above the surface of the brooch. This has also been silvered, but much of this decoration has been lost.  


 
 The last decorative feature of the brooch is a cast curvi-linear indented line. This would originally have formed a border around the body of the brooch, enclosing the areas of enameled decoration. However, due to the brooch being rolled in the plough soil it only survives on the very front of the brooch. 


 
 The brooch is of a mid-light green colour with an even patina which covers all the un-enameled surfaces. There are patches of old corrosion which have eaten into the surface of the brooch leaving some areas slightly pitted. This pitting has destroyed or distorted some of the decoration present. There are also a few areas of light green powdery active corrosion around the edge of the brooch, as well as on the pin and associated lugs. As mentioned above, the brooch has also been badly abraded in the soil and so is now slightly asymmetrical in shape. All of the areas of enameling have suffered from abrasion and corrosion, but the colour in the majority of them is clear (although a little faded) and the panels themselves are intact. The areas of silvering have been rubbed and abraded which has resulted in the majority of the surface treatment being lost. 


 

Similar zoomorphic brooches can be seen in ‘A Visual Catalogue of Richard Hattatt’s Ancient Brooches’ (2000: Oxbow; Oxford. page 360 figure 219). The closest parallels to this ‘Duck’ brooch are examples 168, 169, 621, 1165, and 1166.