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Description: | Cast copper alloy heraldic harness pendant of probable 14th-century date. The pendant is sub-triangular (shield-shaped) in plan and sub-rectangular in cross-section. The edges of the shield are slightly beveled and the profile of the pendant is slightly bowed (convex). On the top of the shield is an integral cast suspension loop which is set at 90 degrees to the plain of the pendant. The pendant measures 32.7mm in length, 26.2mm in width, and it is 3.1mm thick. The suspension loop measures 10.5mm in length, 6.4mm in width and it is 3.6mm thick. It weighs 11.17 grams. The front face of the pendant has an enameled design. This consists of three lions passant gardant (that is standing with one front paw raised) arranged vertically, one on top of another. Each lion varies in size with the smallest at the base of the shield and the largest at the top. The amount of detail in the design varies between each lion, the smallest is very crude whilst the top most lion is well formed. These three lions are displayed on a background of red enamel. The rear of the pendant is plain and undecorated. The harness pendant has a mid brown green colour with an even patina. There are small patches of green active corrosion on many surfaces of the pendant. This is most evident on the front face where corrosion has caused small patches of enamel to be lost. The pendant has also been slightly abraded in the soil. This abrasion has also resulted in a loss of enamel from the front surface of the pendant. Similar shield-shaped horse-harness pendants have been dated to the middle of the medieval period, specifically the 14th century (Griffiths: 1986: Horse Harness Pendants. Finds Research Group Data Sheet 5).
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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