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Description: | Post medieval jewellery link; Small, oval gold link from a bracelet chain, pendant or other form of personal adornment. Dated to the 17th century, based on stylistic features. The main link is a three-dimensional oval 'box' with a faint line around one face, indicating that it was made separately and then attached to form the box-like structure. This also indicates that the link may be hollow. It is decorated with engraved letters on both faces. One side has the letters 'IHS' with a cross extending up from the cross-bar of the H and a group of three small arrows pointing up from the centre of the bottom of the face. The other face has the letters 'MA' above a heart. There is a humped line engraved above the letters on this face. The two faces are positioned so that the lettering on one face is the other way up to the lettering on the other face. There is a beaded band around the edge of the link and a tiny, integral, cast circular loop extending at either end. One loop is still attached to the next link in the chain, which is a simple, circular loop of gold wire. Length (main link only) 13.6mm, width 7.3mm, thickness 4.0mm, diameter (secondary link) 6.3mm, weight 0.91g As potential treasure this artefact was examined by Dr Dora Thornton, Curator of Renaissance Collections at The British Museum. Her report was as follows: "Miniature gold oval container with rope design all around the middle, integral suspension loop at either end, one larger than the other. The oval element has a gold plaque on one of its sides which may have been designed to lift off to reveal a hollow compartment within, and the fact that upper side of this plaque is engraved with IHS (Jesus) with a cross and three arrows or spears suggests that the box may have been designed as a reliquary. The other side of the oval element is engraved with owner's initials MA over a pierced heart. The two loops suggest that this may be part of a larger item of jewellery such as a chain or rosary; the style and lettering suggests a 17th Century date implying that this jewel may have been specially made for a recusant, whether or not it was intended to serve as a reliquary. Probably 17th Century. As such, due to its age and precious metal content, this object qualifies as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996."
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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