The body on display: Exploring the role and use of figurines in early Anglo-Saxon England

Abstract

This article examines the significance and social context of early Anglo-Saxon figurines. Dating to the seventh century AD, these objects are three-dimensional metallic sculptures of the human form, between 30 and 50 mm in length, and only 12 are known to exist. The figurative portrayal of the human form is exceptional; the majority of designs in this timeframe incorporating the human form are represented in two dimensions. The figurines are therefore a marked development in the manufacture and deployment of anthropomorphic representational art that demands explanation. The figurines are considered here in terms of their three-dimensionality, structural function and the gestures they represent. It is suggested that the figurines are crucial, if rare, material evidence for the emerging importance of gestural and gendered expression within elite social contexts.