Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Mixed Copper Alloy:
Cu, 80.8; Sn, 3.54; Pb, 12.55; Zn, 2.22; Fe, 0.32; Ni, 0.1; Ag, 0.16; Sb, 0.08; As, 0.22; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, less than 0.005; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer
Technical Observations: The patina is black and brown, with several small areas of green. Reddish-brown burial accretions are also present. The surface shows wear but is well preserved. It does not show normal evidence of long-term burial.
The hollowed backside is generally shaped as a hemisphere and does not reflect the shapes of the front surface. It could be that wax was pressed into a mold to produce the front relief; if so, the quantity was generous, making the casting thick. It is also possible that the design was modeled directly in the wax. The tang at the top shows the remains of a pin (1.5 mm), which appears to have been a hinge point for the lid. The tang at the back bottom may have helped to locate or secure this hinged lid to some type of container. The slotted hole at the proper right tang is cast, not cut, and its difference from the tang at the proper left appears to be intentional, not an accident of casting. The punch marks and incised lines were probably formed or enhanced by cold working.
Henry Lie (submitted 2012)
