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Description: | Cast copper alloy heraldic harness pendant of probable 14th-century (c.1250 - c.1450) 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. Attached to this suspension loop is a sub-rectangular pivoted fitting with a small cylindrical stud on the reverse. The pendant measures 36.1mm in length, 22.4mm width, and it is 6.8mm thick. The pivoted fitting measures 14.2mm length, 8.7mm width and is 11.2mm thick. The pendant weighs 10.61 grams.
The front face of the pendant has an enameled design. The majority of this has been obscured an d distorted by abrasion and corrosion. The central element of the design consists of a lion (?) rampant with a long curled tail. This is depicted in enamel which has deteriorated to a dark green colour. The front face of the fitting seems to have had a tinned or silvered surface applied to it. The majority of this has been lost, however it seems that the pivoted fitting had a similar finish applied to it. The reverse of the pendant is plain and undecorated.
The harness pendant is a mid brown colour with broken and abraded patina which covers most surfaces. The pendant has also been slightly abraded in the soil resulting in an asymmetrical shape. This abrasion has also resulted in a loss of some 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). | Format: | text/html | License: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ | Publisher: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Rights holder: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Subjects: | archaeology | Temporal: | 1250
1450 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Peter Reavill | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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