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Description: | Cast lead Medieval ampulla.An incomplete cast lead pilgrim ampulla of Medieval date (c. 1350-c. 1500). The ampulla is incomplete. The suspension loops are missing (only the stubs have survived) and the mouth has ragged breaks. The neck is relatively long and flares outwards and upwards from the body towards the mouth.The front of the ampulla is decorated with bold radiating ribs producing a corrugated surface resembling a scallop shell, although this does not extend to past the handles to the neck. The scallop shell was an emblem associated with St James the Greater and one that was so popular from the 11th century onwards that it eventually became a generic emblem for the act of pilgrimage itself (Spencer, 1998, 41). The other side is not so clear and appears to have a forward facing bust, possibly a specific figure such as Thomas Beckett who had a vast cult, but it is not clear. Ampullae were an important kind of pilgrim souvenir in the medieval period. They were designed to contain a dose of thaumaturgic water, which would have been given to the pilgrims at the shrines and holy wells (Spencer, 1990 (part 2), p. 86).
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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