Magia ornamentu / Galeria / Cuff bracelet

Cuff bracelet
Chronology:
Early Middle Ages, second half of the 12th-14th c.
Location:
Czermno, Lubelskie, Poland; fort
Dimensions:
5.2 cm (height), 7.2 cm (diameter)
Janusz Peter Museum in Tomaszów Lubelski

A lavishly decorated silver bracelet, gilded and blackened in places. It consists of two panels (cuffs) in the shape of bent trapezoids hinged along the entire height. The edges are finished in a convex line with a string-like embellishment. Six rectangular, arched niches (arcades) are adorned with the same string ornament. The niches feature representations of birds and plants, carved using the niello inlay technique. It involves the plating of an engraved pattern with a mixture of sulphides of several metals. After polishing, the spots covered with the mixture get blacker, thus creating a contrast with the silver. Depictions of birds of prey can be seen in the central niches of the panels. One of the birds is shown from the front, its long neck strongly bent to the left. The other is shown from the side, its beak raised. Next to the birds, there are niches with coiled plant motifs in the shape of the letters “S” touching each other with the bellies. The background of the birds and plants has a carved pattern resembling tiny scales. The bracelet was part of a larger hoard hidden in a clay pot. The hoard was probably hidden during one of the Tatar attempts to seize the Slavic fort of Czerwień (today Czermno).