Large Medieval Lead Merchant's Token

With a ribbed hoop supporting a round bezel with a six-pointed star in niello on a foliate background. 3.38 grams, 22.94 mm overall, 19.66 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)



UK private collection before 2000. On the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman.

Comprising: ampulla with scallop detailing to the bulb, two lateral loop handles, upper portion of obverse removed; ampulla with hatched moulding to the bulb, 'AD' flanking a leek to obverse, crowned 'A' monogram to reverse, top edge cut away. 118 grams total, 45-54 mm



Found North Yorkshire, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.SWYOR-0EAB85. Accompanied by the original British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) receipt copy no.001936 dated 13 August 2016.

Group of four quatrefoil plaques, each with a hole to the end of each arm for attachment and detailed enamelled image of an evangelist's emblem (man, lion, eagle, calf) on a deep blue field. 26 grams total, 48-50 mm



with Galerie Charles Ratton, 2021. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12058-217470.

From the 4th century A.D., the vision of Ezekiel and John's Apocalypse, assigned the lion, the angel, the eagle, and the ox a place in the iconography of the Tetramorph to represent the four evangelists. Therefore, during the Middles Ages and until today, the evangelists' emblems are: Matthew represented by an angel, Mark by a lion, Luke by a calf and John by an eagle. Strangely, in this set the image of an angel holding a scroll bears the inscription 'Marcus' (St Mark). These quatrefoils were usually decorating caskets keeping relics of saints, holy books or crosses.