The Bradwell Warrior

Anglo-Saxon, 600 AD
Height: 4.1 cm 
Provenance: Property of a Norfolk gentleman; found by his son while searching with a metal detector near Bradwell, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK, on Monday 13 July 2015; PAS NMS-40A7A7
 
This small unique bronze of a mounted warrior, a metal detector find, was discovered in a field in Bradwell parish near Great Yarmouth in 2015. Freestanding figures from this period are vanishingly rare. This remarkable find stands with the fifth century Spong Man as one of only a tiny handful of comparable pieces. 
Variously mooted as a gaming piece, a knop from a vessel or helmet, or even a representation of the god Woden, its function remains a riddle. Whatever the case, this bronze represents a rarely seen aspect of the creative skills of early Anglo-Saxon craftsmen and provides a richer perspective on early Anglo-Saxon material life.