Information on Harborough

Silversmith sheds light on bowls ancient secrets

Posted on 20/01/10

Leicestershire Councty CouncilCommunity Services

19 January 2010Silversmith sheds light on bowls ancient secrets

Does a 2000 year old silver bowl hold the key to uncovering the lost craft of the Iron Age silversmith? Analysis of the bowl by experts from The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, the Assay Office, London and a nationally renowned silversmith certainly suggests this. Silversmith Alex Brogden, used to producing works of art for institutions such as Trinity College, Cambridge, York Minster and No. 10 Downing Street has been casting his expert eye over the unique silver bowl on display at Harborough Museum.

The beautifully crafted bowl is part of the Hallaton Treasure found at a nationally important Late Iron Age site in Leicestershire. The Treasure also includes over 5000 Iron Age and Roman coins, a Roman helmet and other silver artefacts. Alex believes that at least 3 types of hammer and a pair of compasses were used by the person who made the bowl, the marks left by these tools still clearly visible after 2000 years. This toolkit suggests that there was a previously unrecognised and highly developed silversmithing tradition in Britain in the years before the Roman conquest of AD43.

Alex Brogden said: It was an absolutely fascinating and exhilarating experience being able to handle and examine this ancient silver bowl.What made it so exciting was I could literally feel and recognise the marks and techniques of the Iron Age silversmith, I could even detect the little mistakes that had been made in the making process!It was as though hundreds of years had been frozen into one silver bowl and it was very humbling to think that the ancient skills of the silversmith have changed so little.

The visit was organised by staff from The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London. Rosemary Ransome Wallis, Curator of The Goldsmiths Company and David Merry, Head of Assay Office Training & Trading Standards Liaison visited Market Harborough to carry out their analysis.

The sample taken will be analysed with the aim of identifying the bowls precise metallic content to establish the source of the silver. The results will be shared with University of Leicester PhD student, Julia Farley, who is currently working towards identifying the source of the silver used to make the coins found at Hallaton. Archaeologists hope that this will help to confirm whether Roman objects and coins were arriving in Britain and being melted down for their metal as previously speculated.

David Sprason, County Council Cabinet Lead Member for Communities and Wellbeing said: It is a real privilege that The Goldsmiths Company should take the time and expense to help us discover more about this fascinating object. Leicestershire County Council is proud to be at the cutting edge of archaeology

The results of the analysis will be revealed in a few months. Whatever the source of the metal, the Hallaton silver bowl illustrates the skill of metalworkers and the sophistication of the Iron Age people of Leicestershire.

For further details about the Treasure Project and Harborough Museum, see the following background details.

  • To contact Harborough Museum phone (01858) 821085 or email harboroughmuseum@leics.gov.uk

  • Please visit our website www.leics.gov.uk/harboroughmuseum

Background

Harborough Museum is operated in partnership by Leicestershire County Council, Harborough District Council and the Market Harborough Historical Society.

The Southeast Leicestershire Treasure is the archive of material produced by several stages of archaeological work undertaken by local community archaeologists and University of Leicester Archaeological Services. The site proved to be an internationally important ritual site dating mostly to the generations before and after the Roman Conquest of Britain in the 1st century AD.

The purpose of the project is purchase, conserve, interpret and promote the Southeast Leicestershire Treasure. The cost of the project is 933,872 which includes purchasing the finds, conserving the finds, displays at Harborough Museum and at Hallaton Museum, two touring exhibitions, web based resources, workshops for schools and community groups, and events for the public.

The project is supported by grants from The Heritage Lottery Fund of 650,600, 100,000 from The Art Fund, the UKs leading independent art charity, 35,000 from the Museums and Art Galleries Improvements Fund, 35,000 from the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, The Headley Trust, Renaissance East Midlands and local contributions from the Friends of Leicester and Leicestershire Museums, the Leicestershire Museums Archaeological Fieldwork Group and the County Council, as well as private individuals. The support of Harborough District Council is also gratefully acknowledged.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open up our nations heritage for everyone to enjoy. Since its conception, HLF has supported 26,000 projects allocating over 4 billion across the UK.

The Art Fund is the UKs leading independent art charity. It offers grants to help UK museums and galleries enrich their collections; campaigns on behalf of museums and their visitors; and promotes the enjoyment of art.It is entirely funded from public donations and has 80,000 members. Since 1903 the charity has helped museums and galleries all over the UK secure 860,000 works of art for their collections. Recent achievements include: helping secure Titians Diana and Actaeon for the National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery, London in February 2009 with a grant of 1 million; helping secure Anthony dOffays collection, ARTIST ROOMS, for Tate and National Galleries of Scotland in February 2008 with a grant of 1million; and running the Buy a Brushstroke public appeal which raised over 550,000 to keep Turners Blue Rigi watercolour in the UK. For more information contact the Press Office on 020 7225 4888 or visit www.artfund.org.

The Art Fund is a Registered Charity No. 209174

The MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund is a government fund, established at the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in 1881 as part of its nationwide work. The annual grants budget, currently 900,000, is provided by the Museums, Libraries, Archives Council (MLA). The Fund supports the acquisition of objects relating to the arts, literature, and history by regional museums, record offices and specialist libraries in England and Wales. Each year it considers some 250 applications and awards grants to around100 organisations, enabling acquisitions of over 4million to go ahead.

Visit the website at www.vam.ac.uk/purchasegrantfund

The Headley Museums Archaeological Acquisition Fund has been established by the Headley Trust, one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts. Its trustees realise the great difficulties many regional and local museums find in raising the money to buy archaeological artefacts. They are also aware of the proliferation of finds as a consequence of the success of the Portable Antiquities Scheme. The Headley initiative is intended to help museums secure and display notable finds. The Headley Scheme runs alongside and in collaboration with the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund. Visit the website at www.headley-archaeology.org.uk

  • Further details about the Treasure Project:

  • For more information about Harborough Museum and the Southeast Leicestershire Treasure Project, please contact Helen Sharp, Project Officer, at Harborough Museum, on 01858 821087 or email helen.sharp@leics.gov.uk, or Frank Hargrave, Temporary Keeper of Harborough Museum, also on 01858 821087 or email frank.hargrave@leics.gov.uk

Ends.

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