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Description: | A medieval lead pilgrim's ampulla. The ampulla is 'drop' shaped, with a body that tapers towards the top. The top has been crimped and folded over, and little trace remains of the original aperture, though presumably the top was originally open. The ampulla is hollow, clearly demonstrated by a piercing on each side, probably accidental, but just possibly undertaken deliberately to release the ampulla's holy water. The ampulla is slightly unusual in that it has no side lugs for suspension, although the manner in which the top is folded over may have been done to facilitate suspension. The bottom of the body of the front face is decorated with a moulded cross (fairly crudely exectuted) whilst the reverse is unadorned.In:"Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum Medieval Catalogue" (1990, p57-8), Spencer states that: "Ampullae were another important kind of pilgrim souvenir. Generally flask-shaped, but with a narrow, flattish section, they were designed to contain a dose of the thaumaturgic water that was dispensed to pilgrims at many shrines and holy wells. Like pilgrim badges, ampullae, too, were normally made of tin or tin-lead alloy and were provided with a pair of handles or loops so that they could be conveniently suspended from a cord or chain around the wearers neck." The mouths were usually crimped to seal the contents (ibid. p 61). Spencer states that ampullae came into use in the last quarter of the twelfth century and were in England almost the only kind of pilgrim souvenir to be had during the thirteenth century (ibid. p58). He argues that those cast in lead particularly in the fourteenth or fifteenth century are robust. The unusual shape, lack of suspension loops and fairly robust design may indicate a later medieval date for this example, although this is somewhat speculative. It has not been possible to trace this ampulla to any particular shrine. The ampulla measures 50.3 mm long, 20.83 mm wide, 10.24 mm thick and weighs 53.3 grams. The lead exhibits a pale grey to white patina.
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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