MEDIEVAL PURSE

1450

A Type A1 late medieval purse bar made of copper-alloy with inlaid niello. This purse bar dates to the late 15th century. Only one arm of the bar survives. The arm has a circular section and has partly been decorated with double criss-cross engraving filled with niello. This design terminates on each end with are two oblique lines of the usual kind (engraved and infilled with niello). Surviving on the broken terminal (which would have sat next to the central block) is a very stylised animals head with open mouth, from which the arm emerges. The first 13mm of the arm (from the block) is undecorated. After this is where the arm has been decorated with double strand criss-cross engravings, this decoration extends to the opposite terminal of the bar. Beneath the area with criss-cross lines there is an integral plate, drilled with two holes (one has now broken through). At the terminal proper one would expect the section of the bar to be narrower, in order to allow the purse frame in sit inside the aperture, unfortunately due to a break and heavy wear this part of the terminal no longer survives. Instead a stump (indicating the beginnings of the narrower section of the bar) remains. . The metal is a mid reddish-brown colour, with patches of a brownish-green colour. The niello is still a dull silver colour. The metal is badly worn and corroded, and as a result of the corrosion to the main arm, the niello inlay is now actually sitting proud of the surface of the object. A similar purse bar can be seen in the London Museum – Medieval Catalogue, plate XXXIII (see full reference below).