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Description: | A Medieval copper-alloy Book Fitting consisting of one solid plate with a split trapezoidal attachment end. The plate is circular in plan and flat in cross section. There is a circular hole at the centre of the plate and at the terminal there is a complete loop in the shape of a stylised animal head, with a transverse circular perforation. The spilt trapezoidal attachment is integral to the circular plate, unlike other examples seen on the database. The front of the plate and attachment are decorated with incised beaded boarder. There is a circular attachment rivet at the top of the split plate with the rivet still in place.The book fitting is 26.7mm long, 9.8mm wide, 4.1mm thick and weighs 3.68 grams.Parallels for this object come from contexts of c. 1350-c. 1450 AD in London (Egan and Pritchard 1991: 154-155, fig. 101, refs: 720-726) and have been interpreted as book clasps (Egan 1998, 277-280), although all of these examples have a hinge between the plate and attachment end. The clasp would have been secured over a peg in the opposite cover, which would have fitted into the hole in the centre. The loop in the terminal is thought to have held a cord, making the clasp easier to remove from the peg.
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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