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Description: | An elaborate quatrefoil shaped cast copper-alloy harness pendant, with inlaid enamelling. Ashley believes that these elaborate harness pendants were a later development of the earlier pendants. This example displays 'arms which are allusive for England and France' (Ashley, 2002, pp23). He goes on to state that such pendants are likely to have been made after 1340 'when the fleur-de-lis of France were quartered with the lions of England'. Although an earlier date cannot be ruled out, due to earlier known alliances between England and France.
The pendant has four lobes, each with a small triangular projection between them; with the attachment loop projecting from the 12 O?? clock position of the top lobes. The pendant depicts a lion passant (left), inside a square box, surrounded by four fleur-de-lis one in each lobe. The front of the pendant has been chip carved to allow the enamel to be infilled into the spaces. The lion and the box around it appear to be represented by the copper alloy surface. Inside the box around the lion, traces of a dark red enamel survive in situ. The fleur-de-lis have been chip carved and the areas around them have been infilled with a red enamel, most of which survives. Some blue enamel also survives. There appear to be a slightly raised lip around the edge of the pendant, to keep the enamel in place.
The reverse of the pendant is undecorated; but it has been enamelled. The enamel on both surfaces has started to crystallise. A parallel from this pendant can be seen on p21 of Ashley's book (reference below). | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Booth, Anna | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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