To spenner fra samme hånd? Folkevandringstidens relieffspenner i detalj

Abstract

Two brooches from the same hand? A detailed study of Migration Period relief brooches “From the same hand” is a phrase repeatedly used in studies of Migration Period brooches. We explore if it is possible to establish whether the same hand produced two strikingly similar, but yet different, relief brooches from Sogn and Fjordane. Building on current knowledge on manufacture, a hypothetical sequence of variation is set forward, before comparing the two items in detail. Striking similarities in the layout could be explained by reuse of a tool when making the second brooch, or mechanical copying. Minor differences are most likely the result of final adjustment of one or both of the wax models used to produce the clay mould. Due to slightly different signatures in the final touches on the model, we conclude, in contrast to earlier research, that the two brooches are from different hands. However, the most striking decorative elements, three masks and the disc on the bow, are individually made, thus at first glance the two brooches look more different than they actually are. To explore the seemingly deliberate combination of similarities and differences is a topic for future research.