Finds tray – Roman vessel mount

This copper-alloy Roman vessel mount, produced sometime between AD 43 and AD 410, was found last year by a metal-detectorist on farmland near St Ives, Cornwall. The c.4.5cm-tall mount, most likely for a tripod, may once have supported some kind of vessel or tabletop in conjunction with two other mounts, now lost. The anthropomorphic fitting, which looks Celtic in design, depicts a woman with an oval head, almond-shaped eyes, and a straight, triangular nose. Thin, incised lines have been used to indicate eyebrows and a mouth, with smaller marks added for ears. Two raised bumps, indicative of breasts, are visible on the woman’s chest, though no arms are present beneath the shoulders.