|
Date: |
|
Description: | Medieval copper alloy composite pilgrim's badge, formed of an enamelled backplate with an openwork figurative mount attached.The figurative mount is cast in copper alloy and is crescentic in shape. Describing the mount from left to right:Possible tree forming the left side of the badge. Stag standing half-right, with cross between his antlers. There is a figure of a saint kneeling on his left knee, facing left towards the stag. His hands are probably clasped before him in prayer, but there is some damage here and the disposition of the hands is uncertain. There is a flat ring just bordering the figure's head, probably representing a nimbus or halo. The figure is wearing a knee length coat or robe, with details of the draping visible on the lower body. A hunting horn is prominently shown, hanging on a cord from the saint's shoulder. Behind the saint is a horse, advancing right, with head looking backwards towards the saint and stag. The horse is cast with detail of the saddle on its back.The mount is openwork in the areas between the stag, the saint and the horse, as are the spaces between the saint's legs and the horse's legs. This openwork style would have allowed the design of the backplate to show through.The reverse of the mount has an integrally cast rivet which has been curved to form a loop. This loop is located on the reverse of the lower body of the saint, and fits into the central slot of the back plate. The loop would have been used to sew the badge to clothing.The mount is mid-green in colour. There is no trace of gilding on the figurative mount. It is 25.94mm wide, 22.67mm long, 2.53mm thick. The loop is 5.43mm long, 1.94mm wide and 4.94mm deep. The figurative mount weighs 4.02 gramsThe back plate is lozenge shaped and has a central oval perforation to attach the figurative plate. It has a chequered design of dark blue-black enamel alternating with gilded squares which have a slightly raised cross-hatch design. The enamel is missing from many of the cells, particularly those which are located under the figurative mount, however small traces of enamel are visible. The back plate has a cast border of raised oblique lines, giving a rope-work impression. The plate is distorted, with one corner bend backwards. The reverse of this plate is plain and undecorated.The plate is 31.76mm long (with the bent corner), 34.13mm wide and 1.58mm thick. The central slot is 5.53mm long, 2.34mm wide. The plate weighs 5.23 grams.Discussion: The pilgrim badge could represent St Hubert or St Eustace, both of whom saw a vision of a cross (or of Christ / Christ on a cross) between a stags antler whilst hunting. For St Eustace, this vision resulted in his conversion to Christianity, while St Hubert, who was already a Christian at the time of his vision, saw this as a sign to repent his sins. The iconography for St Hubert was copied from St Eustace (Spencer 1990, 54).Similarly shaped figurative pilgrim badges made from copper alloy have been recorded on the PAS database, albeit for different saints, such as BH-589BA2 (St Edmund) and GLO-BECDA3 (St George), although there do not appear to be any examples with similar backplates. St Hubert or St Eustace are depicted on numerous seal matrices on the PAS database, such as NCL-DDBF42 and HAMP-E1FF86.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
|
|