|
Date: |
|
Description: | Copper-alloy page holder, 37mm long and 19.5mm wide, consisting of two separate but identical plates which are joined together by a small loop. Each plate is flat and undecorated. They have a square body with an integral slender rectangular shape protruding from the centre of one edge. The square body has a hole near each corner. These holes have a slot cut leading to the nearest edge, so they are not complete. When the plates are placed together these slots are identical; those nearest the rectangular projection have the slots running towards the edge with the projection, and those further away have the slots running towards the adjacent edges (the side edges). On the exterior surface of the plates the hole is slightly countersunk. The side edges have a slight triangular groove or slot beyond each hole on both exterior surfaces. These seem to be functional rather than decorative. There are also fine irregular horizontal striations across both plates which also suggest it was functional.The rectangular protrusion from one edge tapers slightly. When the object was found, a small loop held the two plates together around the rectangular protrusion. The loop is made of a rectangular shape which has been folded forming an oval shape that fits securely. The terminals of each protrusion are abraded and broken. Originally they would have been longer and joined, forming a tweezer-like object.The exterior of the plates and loop has a well developed green/blue coloured patina. The interior of the plates is slightly soil encrusted, and does not have the patina.It is thought that tweezers with these square expanded ends to the arms, and loops to hold the arms together, were used to hold together the bulky pages of medieval manuscripts. Ottaway and Rogers illustrate a similar example (no. 14477) and Biddle also has one (1990, no. 2326A). The triangular groove or slot is paralleled on the Winchester example. They seem to date to the 13th or 14th centuries.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
|
More Like this...
-
TWEEZERS
Copper-alloy page holder, 37mm long…
-
tweezers
Copper-alloy page holder, 37mm long…
-
BUCKLE
A single looped cast copper…
-
BUCKLE
An incomplete copper alloy buckle.…
-
BUCKLE
Incomplete cast copper alloy double…
-
-
-
BUCKLE
Two copper-alloy medieval possible buckle…
-
BUCKLE
Two copper-alloy medieval possible buckle…
-
BUCKLE
A cast copper alloy buckle…
|