HARNESS PENDANT

A worn cast copper-alloy harness pendant and pendant hanger of Medieval date. The suspension lug has a hemispherical body with large, integrally cast lug or rivet at the centre of the back face. From the base of the body extends a double oval shaped lug that is pierced by an iron bar. This holds in place the separately cast pendant, allowing it to swing. The penmdant itself is quatrefoil in form, with slight triangular projections in each angle of the foil. Extending from the upper foil is an integral oval shaped suspension loop through which passes the iron bar of the suspension lug. On the front face of the pendant are the remains of corroded enamelled decoration. This comprises a central lion rampant, possibly gilded, within a central square field containing the remains of red enamel. Surrounding the central field each of the projecting lobes are filled with blue enamel and have a central fleur-de-lis motif. The entire object measures 40.37mm in length, 22.27mm in width, 2.51mm in thickness (at pendant, 12.25mm at mount), and 9.62g in weight.

This is a decorative harness pendant of Medieval date. The enamelled motifs on the pendant itself find close parallels in examples published from Norfolk (Ashley, 2002: nos. 208-213) and are probably allusive for the arms of England and France. Ashley (2002: p. 23) notes that this probably suggests a post-1340 AD date range when the fleur-de-lis of France was quartered with the lions of England, although a slightly earlier date cannot be ruled out entirely.