PLAQUE

Two fitting pieces of a medieval, cast and engraved silver plaque. The main fragment consists of part of a flat vessica shape broken probably at the midpoint. Fitting next to this is another part with a matching curved edge, also broken. Damage has made it difficult to be sure of the original shapes of the plaque.

The vessica shape has a design of the lower half of probably a male figure mounted on a horse. He wears a full skirted robe reaching just below the knee and has a heeled boot, whose top is hidden by the garment's hem. The drapery if he's a knight, as John Clark (pers comm) suggests, might be a long surcoat he's wearing over his armour - a fashion that went out early in the 14th century. There does not appear to be a spur on the foot as it rests in the stirrup.

The top of the horse' head is lost to the damage and the front left leg and rear right leg are off the edge of the plaque. The horse is depicted as moving and its coat has dapples depicted as small incised slanting lines. The harness consists of a saddle cloth & stirrup, a single rein with the curb bit pulled back under the chin. The breast strap with large pendants is similar to the horseman on the Hereford Mappa Mundi- 1300 (The Medieval Horse and its Equipment, ed J.Clark,1995, p62, fig 46, pers comm J. Clark).

The adjacent piece has a single line as a border echoing the vessica shaped section. The horse's front right hoof intrudes into this otherwise plain band. The rest of the plaque is filled with curling foliage reminiscent of those on the medieval floor tiles from Chertsey (pers comm J.Clark).

The reverse of the plaque has no diagnostic features, other than signs of wear that may result from burial rather than use. It has not been possible to identify the function of the object or locate a parallel so far.

Beverly Nenk wonders whether it might be a mirror case although it's not quite the right shape, as they are usually circular, but it has that sort of look to it, and the decoration would be right (see Dress Accessories p358-365, note the two shown on p364). She also suggests that the white stuff on the back might be traces of cement.