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Description: | An almost complete cast copper alloy post medieval sword belt fitting. This strap fitting consists of a mount with three suspension loops from which originally hung a row of three of hooked plates, now with only two complete plates and a hook from the third surviving. The scabbard straps would have been attached to these plates. The ensemble features foliate decoration on their visible faces. Complete fittings are rarely found, with broken mounts or even just hooked plates being more common.The suspension mount measures 70.68mm in length by 20.31mm in width at its trefoil terminals. It has the appearance of two conjoined, slightly overlapping hooked plates with concomitant foliate decoration. One corroded iron rivet survives in the left of three perforations: one in the centre and one at each of the two terminals. In profile the mount is shallowly curved. The three integral loops descend from the mount (L.: c. 12.63mm, W.: c. 10.5mm, Int. dia.: c. 6.2mm), each with a hooked plate or part thereof in situ.The hooked plates are all sub-triangular in plan and very slightly convex with a flat reverse. The tip of the hook is flush to the stem, thus holding it in place. The plates are c. 49.7mm to c. 50.9mm in length. The plates narrow to a waist 9.4mm wide after the hooks, before widening again to 17.3mm, 13.3mm from the terminal. Below the body of the plate and above the trefoil terminal is another waist at which the plate narrows to 9.1mm. At the beginning of the trefoil is an off-centre perforation; the hole is recessed on the lower face. As implied above, the reverse is plain; the front, visible, face features an elaborate scrolled foliage pattern, split down the longitudinal axis, with incised fronds trailing towards the edges. The object now has a largely deep brown-red patina with traces of lighter green corrosion product and is in good condition.Such fittings 'proliferate in the 16th and 17th centuries' (Geake 2001, 35). Their design and decoration are relatively standardised, as can be seen in those recorded on this database, such as PAS record HAMP-D5AA40.
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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