2. Sutton Hoo gold belt buckle linocut illustration
Updated: Jan 17, 2020
The Sutton Hoo ship burial is one of the most significant archeological discoveries ever made. It provides remarkable insights into early Anglo-Saxon England. The seventh century royal burial ground was excavated in 1939. Inside Mound One, The Great Ship Burial was discovered, containing a burial chamber and Anglo-Saxon treasure.
I created a linocut illustration of the gold belt buckle discovered at Sutton Hoo’s ship burial mound in 1939. This has been used for the cover of the May to August 2019 ‘What’s on at Sutton Hoo’ leaflet.
The early Anglo-Saxon piece is a hollow cast ornament covered in a zoomporphic interlace design. It depicts serpents, birds and animals and is one of the finest examples of Anglo-Saxon metalwork.
The Sutton Hoo buckle was the most complex design to create but the one I enjoyed carving the most. Hand carving the design, I could feel the connection with the artistry of the person that would have originally made it. The design took 3hrs hours 40 minutes to carve. As it requires a lot of concentration I carved in 15 minute blocks with breaks in between. One mistake and the whole piece would be ruined!
I was fascinated by craftsmanship and skill that would have been used to make this piece. I recreated the punched circles that accent the design by punching the lino with a scribe tool.
