Details

LOT 1713

Medieval Bronze Vesica-Shaped Ecclesiastical Seal Matrix

13TH-14TH CENTURY A.D.

1 1/4 in. (26.1 grams, 40 mm).

Scaphoid matrix with strap and pierced lug to the reverse; median image of Mary enthroned beneath a canopy with infant Jesus on her lap, sharing a trefoil-headed sceptre; enigmatic dense blackletter legend to the rim; supplied with a museum-quality impression. [No Reserve]

Provenance

Found Shaw, Wiltshire, UK, before 1974.

Footnotes

Shaw, a village noted in the Domesday survey, recorded a mere three poll-tax contributors in 1377, marking it as the Wiltshire village with the fewest taxpayers at that time. Likely abandoned in the early 15th century, Shaw became associated with Alton (the Alton in Wiltshire, not the one in Hampshire), with its agricultural lands consolidating with those of Alton. Today, one can only speculate about the challenges faced by the 10-20 residents who once called Shaw home.