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Description: | A cast lead alloy badge dating from the later medieval or early post medieval period. The openwork badge is sub-circular in plan and broadly flat in profile with two integral pointed prongs orientated horizontally, to either side of the centre of the badge. The prongs are bent over.The front of the badge is highly detailed. A leafy plant forms the left-hand boundary. At the top of the plant is a crescent moon. The right-hand side of the badge has a porch (or some other type of architectural feature) composed of two courses of stone walling surmounted by vertical columns/posts. The centre of the badge has two figures standing. The figure on the left is facing right, and wearing a hat and robe with hanging sleeves. The left hand figure is clasping hands with the other figure, who is emerging from behind or within the architectural feature, also wearing a garment with hanging sleeves. The figure's left hand is clutching a column/post. The reverse of the badge is undecorated. The badge has a grey surface, with unidentified cream/brown deposits on the reverse. The badge is slightly bent but in very good condition otherwise. The badge is 22.3mm long, 22.0mm wide, and 2.2mm thick (excluding the prongs). The badge has a mass of 2.5g.A very similar badge, riveted to a tin coated background, is recorded on the PAS database (record NCL-F857B5). Geoff Egan (Museum of London and PAS Medieval Finds Adviser) comments: "for the present we do not know their significance. 'Badge' is probably the best way to record it, though it is very much more accomplished than most of these, not evidently religious, and the tin-coated background (largely missing from yours) can so far only be (arguably) paralleled in overall appearance/taste by a different Italian badge which incorporates a glass mirror (Spencer 1998, fig 254k). The two PAS items are very close, possibly from the same mould, though I suspect not. They may turn out to be hat badges, begging the question of what is represented. The scene looks like (?furtive) commerce or some other assignation between the well dressed chacter outside and the perhaps less fully clad one inside - a difficult subject to imagine as a recurring motif for a dress accessory. Late med - ie probably C15th, but could be early C16th."
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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