HARNESS MOUNT

Copper alloy quatrefoil mount which was fixed by four rivets, one set in each corner of the mount. Two of the separately cast copper alloy rivets remain intact. The surface of the mount is quite corroded and only traces of the presumably heraldic enamel design which was applied to it survive. The design apparently consisted of a passant lion on a coloured background which extended to the edges of the mount. Traces of a V-shaped motif rising from the lion's back are visible; however, it is not certain what this motif originally represented. The loss of much of the original surface, combined with both the application of microcrystalline wax and the spread of copper corrosion products across the mount, makes the identification of the original colours of the enamel impossible without undertaking analytical work. Consequently, it is not possible to identify whose coat-of-arms is represented on the mount. The quatrefoil shape of the mount is closely paralleled by one illustrated in Nigel mill's recent book on medieval finds (Mills 1999, 66, no.NM179). Although it is reasonable to assume that it is a harness mount, there is also the possibility that it was applied to a box or casket. 13th/14th century date. Dimensions 80mm x 82mm, thickness of mount 1.5mm, length or rivets 9.5mm, length of rivets 9.5mm, weight 44.1 grams.