MEDIEVAL MOUNT

1200

Medieval copper alloy mount in the form of a bird, the tip of one wing, and on the reverse most of one of two pierced longitudinal lugs missing. The front of the wings and the tail are decorated with lines of finely executed interrupted rocker-arm engraving giving the appearance of tiny addorsed triangles. Much of this ornamentation has been lost. There is a triplet of transverse grooves before the springing of the tail. The hole (diameter 5mm) through the extant lug is partly filled with iron. It is uncertain to what this would have been attached, but it bears some resemblance to a bird finial on a multiple set of horse harness pendants from Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire (NLM-6AFB72). Length 45.5mm. Width 29mm. Height (excluding lug) 19mm. 13th - 14th century.