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Description: | A medieval copper alloy hinged book clasp dating from the late 14th or early 15th century. Only the circular end plat of the fitting survives. At one end it has two projecting arms with a bar between them, round which the sheet attachment plate would have hinged. Only a tiny fraction of the plate survives where it is wrapped round the bar. The main part surviving is circular and has a central perforation of 2.5mm diameter. The plate is decorated with a flower of seven petals surrounded by a border of transverse lines in a ladder pattern. Opposite the hinge bar projects a zoomorphic terminal. This would usually have a transverse perforation which is absent on this example. This may be owing to damage. The wear and the adhering soil make it impossibly to tell. The way these book fittings functioned has been explained by Egan (The Medieval Household, 1998, page 279) where there are several examples. Compare SWYOR-EABA94, HAMP-76CC32, SF-670A96 and especially WMID-958913. The fitting is 36.1mm long, 20.7mm wide and 4mm thick. 6.89g.
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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