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LOT 1851
Medieval Bronze Seal Matrix with Clasped Hands
12TH-14TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (4.37 grams, 20 mm).
With central mane-in-fede motif beneath a star, Lombardic script legend '* FOY ME TENT' for 'fidelity sustains me'. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Stocker collection, Kent, UK, 1955-early 2000s.
FootnotesThis amatory legend is found on other matrices, where the first word is more usually spelled FEI – a similar example is PAS database, SOM-D80124. An impression in the National Library of Wales is attached to a document dated c.1310. For this and similar legends see, Jones, M., The Beautiful Game: Courtly Love Posies in Anglo-Norman Inscribed on Jewellery and Seals, in Journal of the British Archaeological Association 176 (2023), 1-30.
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Medieval Bronze Knight's Holy Sepulchre Badge
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The 'Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem' was an order of knighthood under the protection of the Pope, formed around 1099 A.D. by Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the First Crusade. It was established for the protection of pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land and was recognised by a Papal Bull in about 1113 A.D. -
Medieval Iron Broad Axehead
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Medieval Silver Ring with Lion
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
D-section hoop with raised ornamental band; scooped shoulders with trumpet-shaped bezel, intaglio lion passant motif. 8.93 grams, 26.71 mm overall, 16.90 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
Acquired on the London art market in the late 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of an East London, UK, gentleman.
