8th century AD. A Hibernian bronze strap fitting with enamelled detailing; the plate comprising a rectangular upper panel with reserved rectilinear blocks on a red enamelled field, two crescent panels with a median curved bar and similar below with central pellet (ravens?), all flanking an ellipsoid void; lower panel with hole at the upper edge and notched lower edge; single pierced attachment lug to the reverse of the upper panel and two to the lower panel. Cf. O'Kelly, M.J., The Belt-Shrine from Moylough, Sligo, in The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 95, no.1/2, Dublin, 1965.6.46 grams, 25mm (1"). From an important private Dutch collection; formerly in the collection of Nicholas Wright, Kilburn, London. The item has the appearance of a one-piece strap or belt-buckle. The hole in the lower panel would allow a narrow tongue to be inserted and looped around the bar to form a free-moving tongue. However, the provision of attachment lugs on the rear of the upper and lower panels indicates that the whole piece was intended to be attached to a single strap, or possibly that two separate straps were joined using the piece as a connector. The strap(s) would have been narrow, since the aperture is only 11.5mm wide and the attachment lugs on the reverse are 10.8mm apart on the outer edges. The style of decoration is similar to that seen on Irish belt-shrines, such as the example from Moylough (County Sligo), and it may be that the piece once formed part of such a revered object. Very fine condition.