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LOT 1916
Medieval and Later 'Published' Iron Fire Steel 'Strike-a-Light' Collection
CIRCA 14TH-16TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/4 - 4 1/4 in. (170 grams total, 5.7-10.8 cm).
Comprising four examples with curved handles. [5, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of the famous author, writer and speaker, Gordon Bailey, Essex, UK; formed since 1968.
LiteratureCf. similar specimen in PAS, PUBLIC-1CC6C6.
FootnotesFire steels were used to generate a spark from a 'strike-a-light' (a piece of flint or pyrite). The spark was directed into a tinder box containing a dry, flammable material such as charred linen until a flame was kindled.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1916
Medieval and Later 'Published' Iron Fire Steel 'Strike-a-Light' Collection
Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
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Medieval Pewter Pilgrim's Badge
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Heater-shaped plaque of the Pietà: the body of Christ taken down from the cross lies across the lap of the Virgin, who is here depicted as Queen of Heaven, i.e. wearing a crown with halo behind, the whole scene framed by the rays of a mandorla; clip pin to reverse. 5.56 grams, 34 mm
Found Kettering, Northamptonshire, UK. From an old private collection of Norfolk, UK, gentleman, formed since 1998. -
Medieval Bronze Yorkist's Belt Mount
15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Openwork fitting with central mask and scrolled loops, attachment hooks to the reverse. 7.8 grams, 32 mm
From the collection of the famous author, writer and speaker, Gordon Bailey, Essex, UK; formed since 1968. -
'The Harling' Medieval Bronze Handled Posnet Cauldron
14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £8,450
Shaped as a small cauldron with a long curved handle decorated with five incuse circles extending from the rim to the swan-head finial and with loop handle beneath; spherical body, slightly oblate at the base with an everted rim and casting seams, three splayed stub legs with ribbed profile; offered with objects recovered from the same archaeological context: a struck flint flake; two bone fragments; a fragment of pottery. 3.1 kg total, 3.8-32 cm
Located whilst searching with a metal detector and archaeologically excavated by Norfolk Archaeology Unit, near Harling, Norfolk, UK, on Wednesday 8th November 2023. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.NMS-C1D619 which includes a photograph of the cauldron in situ before excavation. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12165-219623.
Bronze cauldrons played a role in ritual practices in the Middle Ages and beyond. It appears that many of the bronze cauldrons have been deliberately deposited, although the reasons for this were not always clear. There are strong indications that this often took place at the beginning of a large-scale project. This may have been the construction of a castle or a rampart, of a city wall, the building of a dyke, a dangerous crossing of the sea, the cultivation of a piece of farmland or the reclamation of a peat bog. For all types of projects, salvation and blessing could be requested in the form of a deliberate deposit of a bronze cauldron. This custom is directly comparable with the Medieval ritual of placing coins under the foundation stone of a building.
