Large Merovingian Gold Fish-Tailed Mount with Garnets
6th century A.D. A substantial gold mount or fitting for a shield, belt or bridle comprising a median domed panel with central green glass cabochon, four pelta-shaped radiating-arm cells with inset garnets, two now absent; to each end a fish-tail with inset garnet cloisons, one absent; six fixing pins to the mounting plate with beaded border. See Arrhenius, B., Merovingian Garnet Jewellery, Stockholm, 1985, for discussion; and for a similar corpus, see Wieczorek, A. and Perin, P., Das Gold der Barbarenfursten, Damstadt, 2001. 12.62 grams, 48 mm (1 7/8 in.). Acquired by Mr L. Grenacs of Belgium in 1975.Acquired London, UK, 1999. [No Reserve]