BROOCH

Very fine medieval gold annular brooch dating from the 15th century. The brooch is hollow cast and is hemispherical in section. Part of the frame is made up of a pair of very finely cast three-dimensional clasped hands, the right hand faces the front and is positioned over the left. There is a raised band immediately below the knuckles suggesting the end of a sleeve. The left hand, facing the back of the brooch, has the same band but is less pronounced probably due to wear. There is a small hole about 1mm diameter where the thumbs of the hands meet on the inner edge of the frame. Cuffs are represented at the wrist by a raised rim with a milled edge. The rest of the frame has an inscription in raised gothic or 'black letter' script beginning with a cross pattee and ending with a cross in a square. The inscription is broken by a scroll at the point opposite the clasped hands; there is a further scroll on the section between the pin and the left hand. The inscription reads PENSEZ DE MOY which can be translated as 'think of me'.

The back of the brooch is flat apart from the hands and the cuffs, and is decorated with five equally spaced five-petalled flowers on a finely hatched background, with a fine rim on both the inner and outer edges. The centres of the flowers and the back of the pin are also hatched. The pin has a D-shaped loop to fit with the hemispherical shape of the brooch. The front of the loop is grooved to match the lettering and decoration and the back is flat and hatched. There is a ridged grip/moulding at the base of the pin. The pin is slightly bent at its base and would have originally rested in a small notch on the frame.