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Description: | Fragment of a cast copper alloy pedestal / pendant seal matrix of medieval date (1250-1400). The fragment consists of the die and part of the pedestal; the upper pedestal and loop are lost. The broken surface is patinated and heavily worn suggesting damage in antiquity. The die is an irregular oval in plan but originally probably circular or sub-triangular (shield shaped). The face measures 15.4mm length x 11.4mm width. The reverse rises to a height of 11.2mm terminating in a worn broken edge. The body of the matrix is a pedestal formed from irregular tapering sides. This probably terminates in a trefoil shaped loop (now lost). The seal matrix weighs 5.17 grams. The die / seal face is incomplete and only the central element survives; there is no evidence of an inscription, although this maybe lost. The central design consists of a series of vertical incised lines which may be all the remain of a standing figure. The matrix is of a mid-light green colour with an uneven but much abraded patina. The worst affected areas of abrasion are on the external edges of the matrix. From the seal matrixes size and the image it depicts, it was most likely to represent a private personal seal. This type of seal is dated to the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, 1250-1400.
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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