EARLY MEDIEVAL SCABBARD

1000

A fragment of a copper-alloy openwork scabbard chape of Early-Medieval to Medieval date.The surviving piece represents the front portion from one side of a double-sided chape. The design depicts a horse advancing left, its right foreleg raised, suggesting forward motion. Seated upon the horse is a helmeted rider whose head is turned so that he faces outwards. The rider's body is obscured by the pointed-oval shield he holds, although a leg can be seen protruding from beneath. At the front, the chape is folded back on itself, with part of the opposite side visible. A single rivet hole is set within a circular lobe which projects from beneath the rider's leg. The artefact is corroded and the facial features of the rider are worn.Dimensions: 20.8mm long, 30.7mm high, 2.3mm thick. Weight: 5.82g.The PAS database holds further examples of these artefacts, including a near complete example, BH-71DB92, from Redbourn, Hertfordshire. Another parallel, BERK-3228B7, from Warborough, Oxfordshire, is discussed by Michael Lewis (Treasure Hunting Magazine, September 2012, p. 77), who describes it as a 'knife or dagger scabbard chape' and dates it to the 11th or 12th century on the basis on the kite-shaped shield, contemporary depictions of which include those on the Bayeux Tapestry (c. 1070).