MEDIEVAL AMPULLA

1100

Incomplete lead alloy medieval ampulla. The remaining portion of this ampulla or flask is subcircular in plan, in that it has lost its rectangular neck section. The object is hollow and the walls are still separate, not pinched together. The remains of one suspension loop can still be seen, the other is entirely missing. The broken edges are ragged, but smoothed over, which suggests damage occurred in antiquity. One side of the ampulla has moulded decoration in the form of a possible heart with an illegible line design above. The other sign is moulded to resemble a scallop shell. This design is a common one. It was the symbol of St James of Compostela but was also the badge of pilgrimage itself. The nearest shrine to the findspot is at Walsingham and it is likely to have come from there. The surfaces of the ampulla are abraded and the patina is a mid grey. It has a remaining length of 32.26mm, it is 35.7mm wide, 7.02mm thick (remembering that it is hollow) and weighs 24.83g.It dates to between the late 12th and 15th century. Examples of ampullae can be seen in Spencer, 1990, Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum Medieval Catalogue part 2 An ampulla is a miniature flask or phial that carried holy water dispensed to pilgrims at shrines and holy wells, and are basically a pilgrim souvenir. They could be suspended and worn around the pilgrim’s neck, or hung up in houses and barns. The water within them may have been in contact with a relic associated with different Saints, and the designs on the ampullas often reflected the figure or relic they were associated with.