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Description: | A copper alloy seal matrix from the medieval period. The matrix is a pointed oval shape. It is 23.7mm long, 16.7mm wide and 6.7mm thick. On the reverse is a raised central rib with a loop near one end. The design on the face is of a pelican pecking her breast to feed her chicks (a pelican in her piety). The nest rests in a branch and there are three chicks with the pelican on the left (when looking at an impression from the matrix). The legend reads: ??SVM PELLICANVS DEI?? with an initial cross in a square. The legend derives from Psalm 101: ??Similis factus ?? sum pelicanus solitudinis?? which in the English Bible is Psalm 102 verse 6: ??I am like a pelican of the wilderness?? (Cherry, 1991, in Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum Medieval Catalogue Volume 1). The inscription means ??The Pelican of God??. A parallel is number 19 in the same book. The Pelican in her Piety is a very popular motif found on many seal matrices. The matrix is in excellent condition and is neatly executed. It probably dates from the thirteenth or fourteenth century. | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Cooper, Amy - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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