MEDIEVAL MIRROR CASE

1270

Incomplete medieval copper alloy mirror case consisting of two almost identical halves, roughly one quarter missing from both. Both halves have opposed single and double drilled lugs, at one end containing a copper alloy rivet forming the hinge. One face is decorated with a crude open cross on saltire in double lines of finely executed interrupted rocker-arm engraving giving the appearance of tiny addorsed triangles. It contains the fragments of the glass mirrors and fixative. The form of the object, its method of closure and its decoration are all extremely standardised, despite the labour intensive nature of the production method. Three very similar examples from London were recovered from contexts of c.1270 - c.1350 (Egan and Pritchard 1991, 361-2). Diameter 32mm. Length 46mm. Thickness 7.5mm.