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Description: | Incomplete heart-shaped silver, gilded and enamelled pendant locket with filigree decoration. Openwork front-plate with ten small circular holes between cells outlined in twisted wire consisting of a large elongated trefoil formed from three cells which taper to meet at a trefoil cell with rounded foils, two quatrefoils, and two annulets which contain white enamel. All the cells probably originally contained enamel, now missing. Two strands of wire, an inner straight strand and an outer twisted strand, form a border around the edge.The side of the pendant is formed from a separate soldered strip of metal with a median border of three strands of twisted wire. At the point of the heart there is a small circular hole, and next to it the tip of a fragment of wire protrudes with less than 5mm of wire surviving internally, probably originally for the suspension of a separate element below the heart.The remains of a separate suspension loop and hinge, now damaged and distorted, survives at the top. A separate rectangular sheet has been soldered internally, with the external circular, hollow base of the missing loop bordered by at least two strands of wire, with a ragged broken upper edge. Behind the remains of the loop and slightly overlapping the edge is a ribbed, transversely pierced (now blocked) bar forming part of the hinge for the (missing) back of the locket. Gilding covers the external faces, except within the cells.Length 17mm. Width 15mm. Depth 5.5mm. Weight 1.1g.The small holes suggest this may be a tiny pomander or vinaigrette designed to hold scent. See CAMHER-DA44B1 and DENO-89D016, an enamelled example in the collections of the British Museum (AF.2863), and a 16th century example decorated with twisted wire also in the British Museum collections (1854,0124.1).A very similar example with a pearl suspended beneath "From an old Nottinghamshire collection, formed in the late 1970s" was sold at auction in October 2013 (Timeline Auctions, 2013).Circa 1550 - 1650.
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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