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Date: |
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Description: | Small figurine (possibly a gaming counter, chess piece or talisman) made from stone and probably dating from the late post-medieval or modern period, i.e. c. AD1600-2000. The object is complete and although made from a white marble-like stone, seems to have been fabricated to look as if it had been carved from bone or antler. The surface is very smooth which probably is a result from it having been lying in shallow sea water/sand for quite some time, rolling around on the sandy ground, moving with the tide. The object shows the upper torso(?), head and cap of a dwarf- or gnome-like male, adorned with a long curtain-like beard and a long pointy cap. The eyes and mouth are clearly visible; the beard is marked with vertical grooves indicating hair. The back of the cap shows similar grooves, but they seem to underline the object's affinity to something made of antler or bone rather than depicting hair, felt or some other kind of fabric. The gnome is missing the lower half of the torse and extremities; instead, the head sits on a small, circular pedestal foot which is reminiscient of pedestal feet of gaming counters, e.g. chess pieces. There is not hole or cavity in the bottom of the pedestal foot which could indicate the gnome's use as e.g. a handle for a knife or other tool.There are at present no known parallels for an artefact such as this, which is why its original purpose, origin and use must, for the moment, remain unidentified.
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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