Rights Holder: Royal Institution of Cornwall
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Unique ID: CORN-8F7229
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Silver gilt pendant in the form of a Tau or T-shaped cross depicting the Five Wounds of Christ. There is a bleeding heart at the centre of the cross, with three droplets of blood below, with two bleeding hands above, palms facing forward with three droplets of blood below, the fingers extending into each arm of the cross, and two feet below with holes in the middle, pointed downwards in the expanded base of the cross, all within a raised linear border. The base of the suspension loop remains at the top of the T in the centre, but the rest of the loop is now missing. The reverse of the object is plain and has just suffered some scratches and surface corrosion. The gilding survives better on the face of the cross and the left hand arm of the cross has lost its lower corner.
See record NMS-5D5A28 for a similar pendant in the form of a Tau cross which is dated from c.1450-1550.
By the later Middle Ages the tau cross became associated with Saint Anthony Abbot, and became a popular amulet for the treatment of 'Saint Anthony's fire' which was a toxic condition caused by the consumption of spoiled rye, referred to in Husband, T., 'The Winteringham Tau Cross and Ignis Sacer', The Metropolitan Museum Journal 27, 1992, pp.9-35.
A small number of tau cross pendants in gold, silver, and gilt copper-alloy are known from Britain, though these commonly take the form of hollow capsule pendants. The backplate of a capsule pendant is also recorded in record SUR-315095. These miniature reliquaries are thought to have contained a herbal compound that was used to treat the symptoms of 'Saint Anthony's fire'.
Notes:
Consequently, in terms of age and as the object contains a minimum of 10% precious metal it qualifies as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996.
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder after being disclaimed as Treasure
Treasure case tracking number: 2018T273
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1450
Date to: Circa AD 1550
Quantity: 1
Length: 16 mm
Width: 14.4 mm
Thickness: 1.5 mm
Weight: 1.36 g
Date(s) of discovery: Saturday 7th April 2018 - Saturday 7th April 2018
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Treasure case number: 2018T273
Primary material: Silver
Secondary material: Gold
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
Surface Treatment: Gilded
4 Figure: SX0571
Four figure Latitude: 50.50624521
Four figure longitude: -4.7513765
1:25K map: SX0571
1:10K map: SX01SE
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
No references cited so far.