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Description: | Half of one side of a two-part Medieval cast copper-alloy hinged mirror case (c. 1270-c. 1350).The piece is part of a cast disc. The exterior surface is slightly domed and the interior is flat within walls. When complete it would have been circular in plan. An integral lug situated at the side would have acted as a catch to keep the two halves of the case together. A pierced lug at the opposite side would have been part of a hinge. No glass remains. Complete external decoration consisted of the outline of a crude, rounded, open cross, in double lines of opposed triangles. A double line of opposed triangles ran diametrically between the lugs from side to side on each disc: such decoration was probably made using a roulette (Geake 2001, 72). An example of a mirror case decorated in such a way can be found illustrated in Egan and Pritchard (1991, 361-362, fig. 241, ref: 1715). This, and similar, date from the period c. 1270 - c. 1350; other publications (e.g. Mills 1999, 103) give a 14th-century date for mirror cases decorated in this way. That this was a standard method of decoration for contemporary mirror cases is noted in the literature.The exterior surface has a matt green patina and the interior is corroded. The sides have file marks and the break is old.Diameter when complete: c. 28.0mm; thickness: 1.38mm; overall thickness: 6.61mm. Weight: 3.58g.Numerous mirror cases have been recorded on The Portable Antiquities Scheme database. For example, see finds: BERK-C40BA6; DENO-D34205; ESS-DE8948; GLO-F5BBB1; HAMP-1F06B3; LIN-1410F5l; LVPL-5BD171; NCL-9A1560; NLM-E452C5; NMS-E27957; SOMDOR-514B21; SUR-FF1263; SWYOR-8F9AE0; WILT-3CA276 and YORYM-620D84.Geake, H. 2001. Finds Recording Guide Version 1.1.Egan, G. and Pritchard, F. 1991. Dress Accessories: Medieval finds from excavations in London: 3. London: HMSO.Mills, N. 1999. Medieval Artefacts. Catalogue and price guide. Chelmsford: Greenlight Publishing.
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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