Hinged clasps, from Sutton Hoo ship burial. First half of 7th century. Gold with garnets and enamels. Length (12.7 cm). The British Museum, London.
A pair of two shoulder clasps from the burial, also contains intertwined serpents, working as a frame for a diagonally oriented checkerboard field of garnets and glass set in gold with filigree surrounds. The Sutton Hoo objects are significant for the way they elucidate the delivery of motifs and techniques through the migration of various people. Evidences of cultural interchange with Germanic people, combined with evidence of Scandinavian roots are shown. King Raedwald was reputed to have made offerings to Christ, as well as to his ancestral pagan gods. Are the crosses inscribed in the glass checkerboards at the shoulder clasps a conscious reference to the new religion? A number of objects found at Sutton Hoo make allusions to Christianity, including silver bowls decorated with a cross.