Battersea Shield

E560575

The Battersea Shield is an ornate Iron Age ceremonial shield from Britain, renowned as one of the finest surviving masterpieces of Celtic metalwork.

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Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Celtic art object
Iron Age shield
archaeological artifact
ceremonial object
associatedWith pre-Roman Britain
component bronze facing of a wooden shield
condition well-preserved decorative facing
countryFound Britain NERFINISHED
United Kingdom NERFINISHED
culture Celtic
currentCity London NERFINISHED
currentLocation British Museum NERFINISHED
decorativeMotif bosses
roundels
trumpet spiral patterns
decorativeStyle La Tène style NERFINISHED
discoveryContext dredged from River Thames
displayStatus on public display
estimatedDate c. 350–50 BC
function ceremonial shield
votive offering
hasFeature central spine
numerous small studs
three large roundels
heritageStatus nationally important treasure of the United Kingdom
likelyUse not intended for combat
locationFound Battersea NERFINISHED
River Thames NERFINISHED
material bronze
enamel
red glass inlay
museumCollection British Museum, London NERFINISHED
museumDepartment Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory NERFINISHED
notableFor high-quality repoussé decoration
ornate Celtic metalwork
use of red enamel inlay
period Iron Age NERFINISHED
region Battersea, London NERFINISHED
England
shape oval
significance iconic example of Iron Age British art
one of the finest surviving masterpieces of Celtic metalwork
technique incision
inlay
repoussé

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Celtic art hasNotableExample Battersea Shield