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Description: | A copper alloy horse-harness pendant dating to the medieval period. The pendant comprises a heater-shaped shield with integrally cast suspension loop set perpendicular to the shield. The shield is decorated with a heraldic design. The blazon can be described as 'Or, a lion rampant guardant argent', but the lion is unusually positioned, leaning forward with its head towards the upper left (dexter) corner.White enamel survives well over most of the animal, but there are also traces of blue patches of enamel on the body; it is unclear what the blue patches represent. The background of the shield is missing all but two very small patches of what looks like green enamel, although this is likely to be copper corrosion (see comments below). Horse harness pendants generally date to the 13th or 14th century AD.These arms have been subject to consideration by Clive Cheesman and Steven Ashley. They have commented that the green colouring on the field is probably the corroded surface of the copper alloy; the original colour of the ground was probably gold (the copper-alloy surface), and the lion white. Though this breaks the 'tincture rule' in heraldry (the rule that silver should not be shown on a gold background, or vice versa), there are parallels from horse furniture. It is therefore likely that the design was decorative rather than truly heraldic. For other lions in a similar style on horse furniture, there described as passant guardant, see Ashley 2002 fig. 12, nos. 78 and 88, pp. 35 and 56. No. 78, from Bylaugh, is maculate azure (spotted with blue).Grateful thanks are extended to both Clive Cheesman and Steven Ashley for researching and commenting on this pendant.
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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