headandfigurinemounts

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Head,animal and figurine mounts

Stunning medieval gold statue pendant - C15thC

Treasure Report: 2008 T581
Parish/County: Tendring District, Essex

A medieval figure of John the Baptist. The saint is shown not in his usual attribute of a camel skin, but in the robes of a prophet. He gestures with his right hand to a salver, which he holds in his left. This was originally designed to carry a lamb, signifying the Lamb of God. A scroll issues from the Saint’s left hand and is inscribed with the words
: ECCE +ANGUS+DEI
(Behold, the Lamb of God)

The figure stands on a small plinth with a finished base. It is designed to be seen in the round and on its back there is a loop for attachment to an object. It would probably have been entirely enamelled, but no traces of enamel survive on the figure.

The figure is gold and dates from the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century.

Dimensions: height 33 mm, width 11 mm, depth 10 mm.

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.

J P Robinson
Curator of Medieval Collections
30th March 2009

A deep circular hollow in the back of the head is for the attachment of a handle and the break at the neck is where the head would have been soldered to the side of the vessel
The mount represents the laver's greatest point of weakness and thus its most vulnerable point of weakness. A complete laver with female head mounts is in the collections of the British Museum (Cat No MME 1956, 7-2,1) '

Medieval bronze bucket handle mount 84.33g, 28.39mm W,32.16 L x 23.84mm T

Medieval bronze vessel handle mount

Stunning 18thC George III silver mount

GEORGE III BELOVED OF HIS PEOPLE

Roman veiled standing togate figure - popular throughout the Roman Empire but quit a rare find in Britain

50mm high

The small size of the statue, the thin profile of the head and upper body, and the somewhat Augustan or Julio-Claudian traits reflected in the face all indicate that the statue was made, probably as a public or personal votive offering, in a central Italian workshop, such as that which produced the large votive bronzes from Nemi.

Treasure Report: 2009/T218
Parish/County: Tendring District, Essex

A small Medieval figure of a knight, missing his arms and the bottom part of his legs. The sinuous pose suggests that the figure is meant to represent St George spearing the dragon. The dragon ought to have been positioned beneath his feet, but this part of the composition is missing. In this respect and in terms of its dimensions, the figure resembles mass produced pilgrim souvenirs generated by the cult of St George at Windsor Castle. What distinguishes this figure is that it is cast in the round unlike pilgrim badges of the same period.

On the reverse are the remains of a loop, used either for stitching on to a garment (most likely) or for suspension.

The figure is silver and dates from the fifteenth century.

Dimensions: length 18 mm, width 9 mm.

J P Robinson
Curator of Medieval Collections
26th November 2009

16thC Tudor gold on silver cherub mount (left) - reported as treasure. Interesting to compare a similar example (right) we found in the first half of the season curently going through the treasure process.

A copper alloy Roman votive bird figurine (1st-2nd century AD). The figurine depicts a bird with outstretched winds and neck curved so the head faces one side. The tail is fan-shaped with a scalloped edge representing the ends of feathers. The neck and body are decorated with s-shaped incised lines; the wings and tail are decorated with thicker and more irregular lines all representing the feathers. This decoration is on both the upper and lower surfaces. There is a broken stump where the feet would have been, this is probably where the figurine was attached to another object. The figurine is probably representing a phoenix or an eagle. It is more likely a phoenix due to the long slender neck and short pointed beak (an eagle's beak would be more curved).

Notes:

Figurines of birds are often found on religious sites in southern England. The use of birds alluded to the practice of augury where priests were able to divine the will of the gods from studying bird flight (Booth & Henig 2000:125). Booth, P. and Henig, M. 2000. Roman Oxfordshire. Sutton Publishing Limited, Gloucestershire.

Chronology

Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN

Period to: ROMAN

Date from: AD 43
Date to: AD 200

Dimensions and weight

Length: 44.75 mm
Width: 39.63 mm
Thickness: 25.65 mm
Weight: 25.34 g
Quantity: 1

Roman Eagle mount

Description and comment: Small bronze eagle symbolising Jupiter or Zeus in Greek mythology, and patron god of ancient Rome. Romans worshipped him as Jupiter Optimus Maximus, the all-powerful and also god of the state who distributes laws and controls the realm. In Greek influenced tradition, Jupiter is brother to Neptune and Pluto, each presiding over one of the three realms of the universe, the sky, the water and the underworld.

Alison Taylor, who was Cambridge County Archaeologist at the time of the English Heritage excavation at Rectory Farm in the 1990s, says the little eagle would probably have stood in a house temple, lararium, in Godmanchester’s Rectory Farm Villa complex (it has two villas). The eagle’s provenance is from a nearby gravel quarry. The villa farm estate at Rectory Farm is grand and may have been the residence of the most important and richest Roman in Godmanchester.

Ms Taylor says ‘The eagle has a small projection at the base. It could be fitted to a long metal pole so that the figurine could be paraded or set in front of the altar in a small temple.

A mini version of the eagle who would be carried in front of the Roman army by the aquilifer.

Roman lead bust mount

17thC Middle Eastern statues

Roman 1st/2ndC copper alloy votive offering

Roman bronze vessel mount

Roman bronze bust mount

19th Napolean and son called l'aiglon gilded statue

19thC lead Napoleon figurinesed

statue

This lead figurine looks very old and the animal is a strange beast

Large lead arm from a figurine

Facinating find - 1600 mm long and the figurine is exposing himself !! No clue what it is

Museum ID'd it as a toasting fork handle

Roman animal mount

Roman bust

Roman 1st/2ndC copper alloy votive offering

Romano/British mount

38.68g, 55.64mm L x 15.43mm W x33.39mm H

Roman votive offering figurines

Roman 1st/2ndC copper alloy votive offering 7Roman 1st/2ndC copper alloy votive offering 7.63g, 39.43mm H x 5.09mm T.63g, 39.43mm H x 5.09mm T

Medieval enamelled bird mount

Facinating find - 17thC silver mount with Lion etched seated with a curly tail and inscription on edge - 17thC text illegible

Reported as treasure to museum

Stunning Roman mounts with face decoration

Georgian/Victorian mounts

20th mount

Medieval lead busts

Stunningly beautiful - Romano/British bronze razor back pig/hog offering red enamelled eyes - 65.56mm L x 39.9mm H 148g

16th C Tudor mount

Religious figurine - researching it

Krishna as the Divine Child on a Banyan Leaf ?

https://www.sahapedia.org/krishna-divine-child-banyan-leaf-vatapatrasayi

Georgian lead tobacco jar lids with blackamore head finial

Georgian lead tobacco jar lid handle

Georgian pipe tampers are now on separate page - click here

Very interesting Roman bronze mount - could be a face

Large medieval cast bucket mount

Early medieval Saxon gilded pendant

Celtic mount

Fantastic find 1stC BC Celtic bucket mount - The bird probably a raven would be one of a series used as decoration around the top of the bucket. The bucket was used in sacrifial or religious ceremonies

In Celtic mythology birds were represented as the messengers of the gods

34.02mm L, 5.28g