Alfred Jewel

An elaborate gold ornament which is an example of 9th century Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship and found at Somerset, England in 1893 (now in Ashmolean Museum, Oxford). It consists of an enameled plaque with an oval portrait in different-colored Cloisonné, enhanced with filigree wire and backed by a flat piece of gold engraved with foliate decoration. Engraved around the frame are the Old English words which translate to, 'Alfred ordered me to be made', assumed to be King Alfred.

An outstanding example of 9th-century Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship found at Newton Park, Somerset, in 1893 and now in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. The jewel is a unique piece, about 8 cm long, consisting of an oval portrait (believed to be a personification of sight) executed in different coloured cloisonné, enhanced with filigree wire and backed by a flat piece of gold engraved with foliate decoration. Engraved around the frame are the words which in translation read ‘Alfred had me made’, assumed to be King Alfred. The meaning and function of the piece are uncertain; one widely held opinion is that it is the top of an aestal or reading pointer.

An elaborate gold ornament which is an example of 9th-century Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship and found at Somerset, England in 1893 (now in Ashmolean Museum, Oxford). It consists of an enameled plaque with an oval portrait in different-colored cloisonné, enhanced with filigree wire and backed by a flat piece of gold engraved with foliate decoration. Engraved around the frame are the Old English words which translate to “Alfred ordered me to be made,” assumed to be King Alfred.