The other side of this decorative artefact is flat and smooth with no holes for rivets. It appears to be the handle of a manuscript pointer (an aestel), with the actual pointer now missing from its slot (like the back of other examples, it is suitable for sliding smoothly across the surface of a page). A fascinating Kievan Rus' artefact. The Rurikid symbol matches those seen on srebrennik coins of Vladimir the Great (958 - 1015).

This palmate ornament with interlace is distinctive for a group of 10th-11th C chapes (Type IIIb1) found from the Baltic to Ukraine, entirely consistent with the presence of the Rurikid symbol on this piece. Janowski, A., 2006. Sword scabbard chapes of the Baltic found in Poland, Acta Militaria Mediaevalia II, Kraków, 23-50; pp. 33-35.

Palmettes first appear in Scandinavian art in the Ringerike style and also appear in Urnes style art. The interlace and curved foliage elements in this piece compare most closely with the Ringerike style of the earlier part of the 11th century.