2-580-282 - © CM Dixon/Heritage Images

The Pitney Brooch, Anglo-Scandinavian, second half of the 11th century. Disc-brooch of gilt copper-alloy from Pitney, Somerset, England. It is decorated in an English variant of the Urnes style. The motif of an animal fighting a snake is Scandinavian. It would have been considered a symbol of prestige. From the British Museum's collection.