MEDIEVAL SEAL MATRIX

1200

A copper alloy, vesica-shaped (pointed oval) seal matrix, back plain other than a raised midrib with suspension loop at top of same. Measurements: 19 mm x 22 mm; weight 8.3g.Device of a standing Agnus Dei (Lamb and Flag), in profile to left on the impression, looking back over its shoulder to the right. Its right foreleg is bent at the knee (genuflecting). The left foreleg has three toes. The staff runs up the vertical axis of the vesica, starting behind the body of the lamb and terminating in the cross in the lettering area at the apex of the vesica. A three-tailed banner flies from it, tails to the right on the impression; three loops are clearly visible on the left-hand side which attach the banner to the pole.The device is separated from the legend by a neat line; a similar line marks the outer edge of the matrix. The legend reads +S' THONE:CAPELLANI (Latin: The Seal of Thomas of the the Chapel, or Thomas Chaplain). The legend displays several errors: the "M" of Thome (= of Thomas), is an N, and a reversed one at that; the C of CAPELLANI has been reversed, and the N of the same is again reversed (see details in image). The reversing may suggest the use of letter punches rather than freehand engraving.The Agnus Dei is a visual encapsulation of the words of John the Baptist on seeing the approaching Christ (John 1:29), 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!' (Vulgate Latin: ecce agnus Dei qui tollit peccatum mundi), augmented by the concept of the sacrificial lamb (e.g., Abraham and Isaac: Genesis 22:1-13). The representation of Christ as a lamb was well known before the Conquest across Europe, and is found in a wide variety of forms. The Agnus Dei is widely used in church decoration, particularly in roof bosses; 13th century examples, broadly contemporary with this matrix, can be found in York Minster (a ceiling boss in the chapter house vestibule) and Lincoln Cathedral (south aisle of nave). Matrices with this type of inscription were presumably designed to be used by the incumbent of a particular chapel, perhaps when acknowledging receipt of goods donated or the like. This chapel may have been a free-standing edifice, but it is more likely to have been part of a larger structure, e.g., a chantry chapel.