MEDIEVAL TOY

1400

Cast lead alloy (possibly pewter) toy / miniature tankard or 'pot' of probable later medieval or post medieval date (1400-1600 AD). The tankard is cast in one piece with the foot ring being integral. The handle has been broken; all that remain are two abraded stubs positioned at the mid point of the vessel. The rim is complete; there is no evidence of a fitting on the rim for a lid. The edge of the rim is slightly turned out (everted) and the edge beneath tapers and expands slightly. The rim of the pot is 1.6mm thick. The mouth of the pot has been distorted and out of true; it has an internal measurement of 14.8mm x 12.1mm. The pot is 19.4mm deep. The side of the vessel are straight, the base is flat. The foot ring expands and has a diameter of 16.1mm, the base is recessed and relatively uneven. The tankard is a mid silverfish grey colour and the surface is slightly laminating. The rim has small amounts of white coloured corrosion present. A direct parallel for this example has not been found. It is similar to a number of items of tableware from London (Egan 2005) however most of these examples have 'baluster sides' or hinged lids. The tankard measures 22.3mm high, is 20.0mm wide and 15.6mm thick. It weighs 9.39 grams.