MOUNT

Copper alloy mount fragment. Cast concavo-convex figurative mount fragment, now in two joining pieces, depicting the naturalistically rendered robed figure of a saint who cradles a crescent moon in front of the chest. Two drilled fixing holes of diameter 3.3mm are set below the throat and at the midpoint of the lower garment folds. The hollow-cast head is detached and has an overhanging pudding basin haircut and facial features moulded in low relief, with the brow and nose abraded. The upper body wears a sleeved garment with wide open cuffs to the sleeves and a medially double incised line or fold down the front. A further fold of drapery is held up to pass across this garment by the left hand, and the object is broken across its lower fixing hole and further folds. Gilding traces appear overall, though a blue spot on the forehead may be vivianite – a naturally formed corrosion product in certain burial circumstances - rather than a relict of enamel. The mount is notably curved when viewed in profile, suggesting its attachment to a rounded or bulbous setting.

The finder suggests this to be a Limoges figurine, though as noted above there is no clear trace of enamel colorant. The facial features are simply rendered. The naturalistic modelling points to the developed Romanesque style of the later 12^th or early 13^th century, which would indeed be contemporary with the popularity of work from Limoges. The subject is uncertain, as no sexual characteristics appear though the face is beardless. The crescent moon is best-known as an attribute of the Virgin Mary, though had other applications – for example, as a badge used by Richard I (1189-1199). The find-spot is close to a church, and the finder credibly suggests this discovery could represent Reformation-period clearance of parochial clutter. Suggested date: Medieval, 1175-1250.

Length: 58mm, Width: 33.1mm, Thickness: 2mm, Weight: 15.97gms