PLAQUE

A flat, rectangular, lead alloy plaque dating from the Post-Medieval period, circa AD 1700 - AD 1900, depicting two naked figures performing a sexual act. There is a tree or cave wall emerging from the ground on the right-hand side of the scene and a curved canopy at the top made up of five large pellets. Standing on the ground beneath the canopy area, a male and female figure are depicted engaged in sexual intercourse. The female's buttocks are pressed against the tree/cave side, and she is supporting her weight on her right leg while the left leg is raised and supported by the cradling arm of the male. Her upper torso is leaning forward, kissing the male and her arms appear to be wrapped around either the upper torso of the male or at his neck and shoulders. The male stands on both feet, the right leg bent slightly back, his arm cradling the woman's left leg as his phallus penetrates the woman. The whole scene is surrounded by a rectangular border. The reverse is flat and undecorated with no indication of a mounting point. The object appears to be unfinished as a ragged edge of extra metal remains around the outer edge of the rectangle.

The plaque has a medium grey patina. It is 58.8mm long, 49.2mm and 10.1mm thick. it weighs 110.68gm.

An identical example of this plaque can be found on the database at reference LVPL-1533AC. Depictions of the same scene have also been noted on copper alloy pipe tampers of the period; see for example database references WMID-786656, NCL-739535 and WILT-FE9706. Although there is no indication of a mount or other fixing method, it is possible that this plaque is decoration from a related product such as a tobacco jar. It has also been suggested that these objects are brothel tokens, but they seem a little large.

The scene may portray the consummation of Aeneas and Dido in the cave during a hunt while caught in a storm. The background scene may be a cave or a forest, the cave being the actual location of the consummation, the forest alluding to the hunt during which the episode took place. If the latter, this would place the plaque in the classical category of such objects, as well as the bawdy.