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Description: | A Medieval (1300-1400) copper alloy seal matrix with a circular die and hexagonal in cross-section handle, tapering to a lozenge-shaped suspension loop with a circular perforation.The matrix has a central design of a lamb and flag: the lamb lies to the right (left on seal impression) with its legs under it and head turned to look backwards at a vertical pole with a cross at the top projecting from the centre of its back, a flag (of three diagonal lines) flying from the pole. The design is within a pellet border broken by the cross at the top of the pole, which forms the start of the legend around: ECCE AGNVS DEI (Behold the lamb of God).Behind, the handle rises in six facets, narrowing as it rises to a waist from which it expands out slightly to a thickened collar. Above the pierced suspension loop is flat with a 2.39mm circular piercing.The seal matrix is 18.45mm in diameter at the face and 19.04mm in height; it weighs 5.55g.This type of seal was popular in the 14th century and both this legend and the design of the lamb and flag were widely used with many similar examples on this database (Harvey and MacGuiness 1996:88-9). A similar seal matrix from Salisbury is included in the "Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum Medieval Catalogue, Part 1", number 13, p. 32 and fig 16 (Cherry, in Saunders and Saunders (eds. 1991). Cherry (1991, ibid.) suggests that seals with the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) design and Ecce Agnus inscription were especially common in the 1330s.
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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seal matrix
Medieval seal matrix, hexagonally facetted…
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