File:Roman zoomorphic plate brooch (bird in flight) (drawing) (FindID 241952).jpg

English: An incomplete, but very fine, cast copper-alloy zoomorphic Roman plate brooch in the form of a bird in flight (duck). As such, it belongs to a group of enamelled Roman bird brooches discussed by Hattatt (1987, 224ff.), and suggested to be a native British type given the paucity of Continental examples. These brooches have flat bodies and spread wings with enamelling, a triangular tail enamelled in two cells, the plain neck and head rising high from the plane of the brooch (max. H. here: 12.8mm), a wide rib along the back and a chain loop at the tail. This example is as fine, if not finer, than those illustrated. The head bears an unparalleled perforation which represents the eyes. The raised body rib features crescental punch marks in groups of three. There are also punch marks flanking the rib; on those illustrated the decoration is either on the rib or flanking it, not both. The sub-triangular wing recesses bear traces of ?red enamel. The seems to be a transverse incised line towards the wing tips. The tail is delineated by a ridge flanked by transverse incisions; the ridge is decorated with fine longitudinal incisions. The enamel in its triangular cells has decayed to a light green colour as many enamels do. There is a small loss on one corner of the tail. On the plain lower surface, towards the end of the tail, is a double semicircular perforated lug for the (now missing) hinged pin. Traces of orange corrosion product around the lug suggest that the axis bar would have been made of iron. At the other end of the body the catch-plate has been abraded. The brooch has turned a grey colour with patches of light corrosion product.