MEDIEVAL MOUNT

1066

A cast copper-alloy medieval mount, possibly from a casket. The flat openwork circular mount depicts a zoomophic design completely filling the frame. The Romanesque lion is in profile with his head curved around the back of his body and his head facing forward in portrait. The lion’s body is decorated with incised lines, his long tail is a swirling tendril and there are also two more tendrils swirling from the side of his neck to the frame. His face has incised pointed oval eyes and spilling out of his mouth are two strands, which flow behind the body then split into two separate strands. At points where the strands and the tail touch the outer frame is a transverse band attaching it to the frame. The circular frame terminates with two transverse bands with four strands underneath split into two sets. The front of the mount has been gilded and the back is plain. The external diameter is 29.4mm, the length is 37.6mm, the thickness is 2.6mm and the weight is 6.42g.