MEDIEVAL VESSEL

1066

Medieval copper alloy miniature vesselThe vessel or flask is complete (with a length of 39.4mm and a weight of 34.4g). The mouth is circular (with an external diameter of 13.4mm and an internal diameter of 9.4mm) with a simple flat rim. Just below the mouth are two integral and irregular D-shaped suspension lugs of different sizes (7.1mm long, 7.3mm wide and 2.4 - 3.5mm thick; 3.3mm long, 7.6mm wide and 2.1 - 4.0mm thick and producing an overall width of 25.7mm). Both lugs have a circular perforation (1.8mm diameter). The neck of the vessel is slightly concave and expands to a globular body and rounded base (with a maximum width of 23.5mm). The copper alloy has a pale green surface patina.This vessel can be paralleled with an earlier example excavated at Eynesham Abbey (Hardy, Dodd & Keevill, 2003; p 298, no. 101). The Eynesham example has loops rather than perforated lugs. These vessels held small quantities, probably of different substances, such as oils and pigments.