Chemical Composition: Body metal
XRF data from Artax 1
Alloy: Mixed Copper Alloy
Alloying Elements: copper, tin, lead, zinc
Other Elements: iron, silver, arsenic, gold
Comments: There are traces of gilding on the object.
Inlay
XRF data from Artax 1
Alloy: Silver
Alloying Elements: silver, copper
Other Elements: lead, iron
K. Eremin, January 2014
Technical Observations: The strap end has a dark brownish-black, somewhat rough patina, and there are traces of cupritic red and green corrosion accretions spread overall. There are tan accretions, perhaps wax, in the interstices.
The body of the strap end was cast in one piece, probably by the lost-wax process given the undercut of the bifurcated end. A rectangular piece of somewhat tarnished silver sheet was adhered to the front of the piece with a milky, translucent adhesive that fluoresces under ultraviolet light. The truncation of the repoussé design on the silver sheet makes it appear that the sheet was cut from a larger composition and that it could be a later enhancement or restoration. It is also not clear when the slight incision in the body of the strap end that aligns with the silver sheet was created. The modeling and texturing of the strap end were created in the wax model and may have been enhanced in the metal. Whether the crisper edges of the decorative detail on the front of the strap end are original or were created during post-excavation cleaning is not clear. The file marks on the back of the piece could have been present originally or caused by later cleaning.
The tops of both sections of the bifurcated portion are missing, and the broken edges are worn, as are what remain of the rivet holes. It is impossible to say whether these holes would have been made at the wax or in the metal, although it would certainly have required less effort to make them in the wax. The curve of the piece could be due to later distortion.
Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2012)
