MEDIEVAL STRAP END

1250

A Medieval (1250-1450) copper alloy composite strap-end, with a front and back plate and a forked spacer between. It measures 27.35x12.53x3.41mm and weighs 3.29g. The plate has gently expanding sides to the open end (which has a slightly in-curved edge) and a projecting triangular knop at the closed end.The metal has a smooth shiny dark green patina and is decorated with a series of grooves. A pair flank the long edges and the shorter edge, with a single line drawing a V shape inside the knop. At the other 'open' end are two bands of decoration, the first created by two pairs of transverse grooves enclosing an area with three curved lines with a small transverse line beneath the curve, and flanking the open end a V-shaped groove with three curved lines beneath either arm of the V, again with a short transverse line beneath the curve. At the centre of the V is an in situ rivet, with a tiny grooved V above it, reaching to the edge of the object.A further rivet is visible just above the knop.Examples of this type of strap-end from London (Egan & Pritchard, 1991, Dress Accessories) date broadly from the late 13th to mid-15th century.