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Description: | Medieval lead alloy pointed oval seal matrix without inscription. The matrix is flat with old damage at each end and the remains of a semi-circular lug with a damaged top edge projecting from the back of the matrix near one point. The matrix is uninscribed on the seal face, it is smooth with no inscription or design. On the back is cast a raised foliate design of a central stem flanked by pairs of curling branches with tri-lobed ends. The branches almost fill the filled with the small gap between them filled by a saltire on each side. The matrix is now 28.3mm long, 19.8mm wide, 3.3mm thick excluding the lug and 6.2mm including it, it weighs 9.99 grams.While cast designs on the reverse of matrices are not rare this example is unusually elaborate. Many uninscribed decorated examples have been recorded on this database, e.g. SWYOR-E47505, KENT-74BFF7, SF-241221 and SUR-8A3643. It is probable it is unfinished although it is also possible the matrix was deliberately smoothed with a hot implement as an alternative to breaking it when it was no longer needed. The general style of the matrix suggests a thirteenth century date (Harvey and McGuiness 1996:80).
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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