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Description: | An incomplete cast copper alloy shield-shaped mount of Medieval date (c. AD 1200 - c. AD 1400). Length 20.0mm, width 18.4mm and 2.3mm thick. Weight 4.88g.
The shield is commonly known as a "heater" type because of its flat top and sides that curve steeply towards a pointed base and resemble the outline shape of a flat-iron. The face of the mount is decorated in heraldic style and was originally enamelled. It has a field bearing two lines of guttes (drops) between three bars charged with crosses pattees:
On a field guttee, three bars charged with crosses pattees.
There are five crosses in the upper bar, four in the centre bar and three in the lower bar. The enamelling within each cross is lost. Enamelling was also originally present on the field but is also lost. The rear face is flat and plain, except for the complete central integral rivet. It is 4.5mm in length and circular in cross-section having a diameter of about 4.0mm. The end of the rivet is burred-over. Having a burred rivet rather than a spike may indicate that the mount was a harness accessory rather than for use on furniture or a box.
The piece is corroded overall and in poor condition.
For further information on shield-shaped mounts, see: Griffiths, N. 1998. "Shield-Shaped Mounts". Finds Research Group 700-1700. Datasheet 12A. | 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: | 1200
1400 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Frank Basford | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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