Stunning 3,000-year-old gold pendant to go on public display for first time

• Rare 3,000-year-old sun pendant to be displayed to the public for the first time at Shropshire Council’s Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery as part of the British Museum’s National Programmes.
• Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery will also be fundraising to acquire other finds close to the findspot, including a unique lead gold-ring parcel and an axe which has the potential to date the transition from Bronze Age to Iron Age.
• Most significant piece of Bronze Age gold metalwork found in over a century in Britain – the only example of a British bulla that we currently have.
• A masterpiece of European Bronze Age gold work, it is evidence of the importance of the sun in people’s beliefs and cosmology during this period.

The Bronze Age gold bulla found in Shropshire

An extraordinary sun pendant is to go on public display for the first time in Shrewsbury as part of the British Museum’s National Programmes. The sun pendant, also known as a bulla, could be one of the most significant pieces of Bronze Age metalwork ever discovered in Britain. The rare and spectacular object will be hosted at Shropshire Council’s Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery from Friday 10 September until 12 December 2021 as a British Museum Spotlight Loan “Gathering light: A Bronze Age golden sun”.

Discovered in the Shropshire Marches in May 2018 by a metal detector user who remains anonymous, nothing like the sun pendant has been found in this country for over a century.

The sun pendant (HESH-43148A) is over 3,000 years old, dating between 1000–800BC in the late Bronze Age period. The elegant form and intricate decoration of the gold pendant includes an exceptionally rare depiction of the sun – not previously seen on objects found in Britain. Solar symbolism was a key element of mythology and belief in the Bronze Age and this pendant celebrates the life-giving power of the sun during the time of the earliest metalworkers. The sun pendant is therefore a hugely significant addition to knowledge of the art and iconography of Bronze Age Britain.

The sun pendant marks the end of an era as one of the final expressions of an art style and belief system that had lasted for almost 1,500 years. Deposited intentionally in a wetland landscape of bogs and ponds 3,000 years ago, the pendant provides a starting point for discussions about the role of both water and the sun in the religious beliefs and life in deep history. Measuring 3.6cm high and 4.7cm wide, this bulla is only the second ever found in Britain. The other Irton bulla – now lost – was discovered near Manchester in 1722 and only known from a picture. Its quality was so high that experts of the day believed it must be Roman. It was last recorded in 1806 before disappearing from records. Curators hope it may one day be rediscovered in a private collection. In Ireland, six similar gold pendants have been found, though these are not identical to this gold pendant.

Alongside the sun pendant, Shropshire Museums are hoping to crowdfund the £40,000 needed to be able to acquire other historically significant objects unearthed from the findspot to help tell the complete story of ancient Shropshire. These include an exceptionally rare jewellery parcel wrapped by lead, believed to be one of the first records of using this material, and hoards which have the potential to date the transition between Bronze and Iron Ages.

This vast array of high-quality metalwork from this landscape suggests that the Shropshire site was an important location for a form of religious or ceremonial activity for over a thousand years. These objects and ongoing fieldwork at the findspot reveal important discoveries about this period in British prehistory, advancing our collective archaeological knowledge and understanding of why precious objects would be cast away. Displaying these important objects in situ together for the first time at the museum would be a unique opportunity for visitors to learn about this historic site. To find out more, and to donate money people can visit the Saving the North Shropshire Bronze Age Hoards crowdfunder website.

The sun pendant will also star in the British Museum’s forthcoming major exhibition on Stonehenge, whilst the Museum is seeking three more museums to host the Spotlight Loan from late 2022 onwards as part of its National Programmes and commitment to sharing the collection as widely as possible across the country. Part of the Spotlight Loan will also include further precious objects yet to be announced.

Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for communities, place, tourism and transport, said:

“This Shropshire sun pendant is truly an incredible find and one of huge importance. We are delighted that this item, which is 3,000 years old, will go on show to the public for the first time at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery.

“This is an exceptionally rare depiction of the sun and undoubtedly one of the most significant finds from the Bronze Age in more than a century. As it was discovered in the Shropshire Marches, it is fitting that Shropshire should be chosen by the British Museum to display it. We are delighted that it will be hosted in the wonderful Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery and I am sure it will be a very popular attraction.”

Fay Bailey, Shropshire Council’s manager for Shropshire Museums, said:

“The Shropshire sun pendant is an unparalleled find of international significance. The discovery of this exceptional object and associated finds helps to deepen our understanding of Bronze Age Britain and confirms that Shropshire has an important story to tell. We are delighted to be the first venue to display this remarkable object.”

Neil Wilkin, Curator, Early Europe at the British Museum, said:

“The Shropshire sun pendant is an internationally significant object, reflecting the artistic brilliance of communities from the deep past and the social and religious connections that spanned western Europe. It is fantastic that Shrewsbury Museum will have the first opportunity to show the pendant and will do so alongside fantastic objects from their own collections. This will allow the pendant to be set in its landscape and regional context for the first time.”

Maria Bojanowska, Head of National Programmes at the British Museum, said:-

“The sun pendant is one of the most spectacular objects in our collection. I’m very pleased that through the British Museum’s National Programmes, Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery will be the first place that the public can see this remarkable pendant in person and up close.”

The sun pendant will be on display at the museum from 10am on Friday 10 September 2021. For further information, and to book a free ticket, people should visit https://www.shropshiremuseums.org.uk/event/british-museum-spotlight-loan-exhibition-gathering-light/

This exhibition promises to be the start of an exciting journey for Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery as it joins with the British Museum to develop a new Partnership Gallery. This, the UK’s first pre-Roman British Museum Partnership Gallery, will focus on the national and international significance of Bronze Age Shropshire and is expected to open in 2024.