The Belluno Treasure is an important Lombards hoard found at Belluno, Italy in the nineteenth century that has been part of the British Museum's collection since 1897.[ British Museum Collection]
Discovery
The hoard was apparently found in a grave near the town of Belluno in the region of
Veneto, northern
Italy. Dating to the late 6th or early 7th centuries AD, the rich grave group probably belonged to a female member of the
Lombards court. It was later purchased by the curator and philanthropist
Augustus Franks, who bequeathed it to the British Museum in 1897.
[ British Museum Highlights]
Description
The Belluno Treasure is largely composed of gold and gem-encrusted jewellery. The style of decoration from the hoard reflect contemporary fashions in the Mediterranean. It includes two gold cross pendants (one with punched ornamentation), a gold and garnet cloisonné disc brooch, a finger-ring, a gold pin with a terminus in the form of a hand (which may have once held a
pearl), and gold beads.
==Gallery==
See also
Further reading
-
S. Marzinzik, Masterpieces: Early Medieval Art (London, British Museum Press, 2013)
-
N. Christie, The Lombards (Oxford, Blackwell, 1995)
-
A. Castagnetti and G.M. Varanini (eds.), Il Veneto nel medioevo. Dalla (Verona, Banco Popolare di Verona, 1989)
