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Description: | Incomplete medieval nut crackers, missing one zoomorphic terminal and the terminals of both arms, dating to the 12th -13th century. All breaks are old.The nut crackers are formed from two cast arms riveted together to pivot. At the pivot point the two arms are rectangular in cross-section and roughly pointed-oval in shape, their outside edges being crenellated (each side presenting three shallow convex curves). A line of pairs of punched triangles flanks the pointed-oval shape of this section. At the point these lines of decoration meet an arm D-shaped in cross-section (c.7x6mm) extends, each offset slightly to one side and extending diagonally back in the opposite direction. The flat edges of the cross-section face towards each other, so the arms rest together towards their broken ends, leaving a slight gap closer to the pivot-point. Both extend for a length of c.50mm and taper to c.5x5mm at the old breaks.The rivet has a flattened, domed head to one face (8.1mm diameter, 3.6mm tall) ad a burred-over end to the other (4.7mm diameter). The shank measures 4.3mm in diameter and the length of the rivet is 15.5mm.To the other end of the pivot area of one arm is a worn break, while the other arm has a zoomorphic projection beyond a collar. It takes the form of a D-shaped head, convex to the upper surface and concave underneath (for better holding of the nut). To either side of the head, close to the collar, vertical triangular ears project upwards from the base of the head, one with a raised, V-shaped edge. At the curved end is a moulded open mouth with a gully between the upper ad lower jaw, V-shaped in cross-section. Behind the mouth are two circular eyes 2.4mm in diameter and 1.7mm deep, both retaining a now off-white chalky substance within them. A vertical line of pairs of punched triangles runs from the tip of the upper jaw to the collar. The lines also run in a lozenge shape around the face, using the line of the upper jaw as two adjoining edges and running in front of the ears at the opposite edges.The nut crackers measure 94.8mm in length, 15.5mm in max.width (at the pivot-rivet), 15.6mm high (at the pointed-oval pivot area) and weighs 48.93g. The metal is dark green in colour with heavy pitting; where the patina survives it is smooth and shiny.Two similar, fragmentary objects are recorded on this database, SF-C0D351 and NMS-03BA27, the latter of which also cites Eggenstein et al, 2008, 253, fig.99.1 and a 12th-13th century date.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/ | Go to resource |
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