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Description: | An incomplete copper-alloy book clasp of Late Medieval date.The piece represents the lower half of a hinged book clasp. At the top is a horizontal bar, set between two right-angled perforated lugs, with an attached remnant of the above sheet plate. The surviving element takes the form of a thick plate, the convex, decoratively moulded outer sides converging towards the bottom, where there is a zoomorphic terminal. Extending around the perimeter of the upper surface of the mount are eight circular depressions of equal form. At the centre is a circular rivet hole. The aforementioned terminal takes the form of a stylised animal head which is set at a right-angle to the rest of the mount and also has a higher upper surface. This surface bears moulded facial features, the exact nature of which is difficult to interpret. The mouth, for example, appears to be shown as if open wide, a large, sub-circular object contained within it. The outer sides of the head are flat; extending horizontally through the centre of the terminal is a circular aperture.The piece measures 27.9mm long, 15.9mm wide and 7mm thick (at the terminal). The weight is 5.35g.Similar book clasps were found in excavations in London, in layers dating from the late 14th to early 15th centuries (see Egan 1998: 277-280).
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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