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.

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In Early Anglo-Saxon England, Style I anthropomorphic and zoomorphic motifs played a key role in shaping identity and communicating ideas in a non-literate society. While the zoomorphic designs are well discussed, the meaning of the human element of Style I remains underexplored. This paper addresses this imbalance by examining a rare and overlooked group of anthropomorphic images: human faces with small, pointed ears depicted on fifth- to sixth-century female dress fittings recovered from archaeological contexts in eastern England. This paper identifies quadrupedal creatures as a stylistic parallel within the menagerie of Style I, including equine, lupine and porcine creatures. Although it is difficult to identify the character/s depicted with ears, there are notable affinities between the anthropomorphic masculine face with pointed ears and the ancient Germanic practice of warriors donning wolf and bear pelts. The facial motif with pointed ears appears on feminine metalwork within East Anglia, the historic region of the sixth-century Wuffingas (Little Wolf) dynasty – Wuffa being Wolf and the -ingas suffix meaning ‘people/descendants of Wuffa’. This paper explores this rare design with contextual information from pictorial and historical texts of shapeshifting and considers the relationship between this motif, the object, and the wearer/user.