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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]
ProvenanceFound Shaw, Wiltshire, UK, before 1974.
FootnotesShaw, 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.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1713
Medieval Bronze Vesica-Shaped Ecclesiastical Seal Matrix
Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
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'The Witham on the Hill' Medieval Gold 'The Beautiful Game' Posy Ring with Matched Pairs of Flowers
Circa 1400-1500 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,160
Flat-section straightened hoop with incised blackletter text 'le belle ie[u]' translating to 'the beautiful game' with interposed flowers and stalks. 1.68 grams, 16.92 mm overall, 15.39 mm internal diameter (approximate size British I 1/2, USA 4 1/2, Europe 8.07, Japan 7)
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Witham on the Hill, South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, UK, on Sunday 9th January 2022, by Mark Bowen. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.CAM-D675E8. Accompanied by a copy of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Treasure receipt and and disclaimed with Treasure case tracking no.2022T153. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12139-214843.
The final word of the inscription is ie for ie[u], an Anglo-Norman spelling of modern French jeu ‘game’. The game in question is, of course, love (not football!). The ‘game’ of love here is what we now refer to as Courtly Love (amour courtois, fin amor) and the phrase ‘beautiful game’ is also found on another ring recorded on the PAS database as YORYM-0A0FD2, the whole, a rhyming couplet, reading AMIE EN VV/ [E]ST MA VIE BELE GIEV [Beloved, in you my life is a beautiful game]. -
Medieval Bronze Ring with Crowned I
14th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
With D-section hoop, tapering shoulders, sub rectangular bezel with reserved capital 'I' between fronds beneath a crown. 8.33 grams, 26.84 mm overall, 20.85 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V 1/2, USA 10 3/4, Europe 24.4, Japan 23)
Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. From an East Anglian private collection. -
Medieval Lead Trade Weight Group
13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
Comprising: a large square type with bevelled edges, low-relief compass motif; smaller square with knotwork motif. 338 grams total, 23-52 mm
Ex Simmons gallery, 1990s. From a North London, UK, collection.
