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LOT 1745
Medieval Bronze 'You Have a Loyal/Faithful Love' Seal Matrix Head
CIRCA 1300-1400 A.D.
1 5/8 in. (5.28 grams, 17 mm).
Circular die with a central four-leaved plant paris quadrifolia, surrounded by a French inscription reading: '*LEL AMI AVET' for 'you have a loyal (or faithful) love'. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Fairstead, Braintree, Essex, UK.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.ESS-F0F3AA.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
See Jones, M., The Secret Middle Ages, Cheltenham, 2025, 24-5, 313-4, for further discussion.
FootnotesDr Malcolm Jones notes: 'This common device and associated inscription need to be understood in the context of the imagery and conventions of amour courtois/Courtly Love. Certainly, ami literally means ‘friend’, but in this context it means ‘love, lover, beloved’ – so the legend means “you have a loyal/faithful love”. Furthermore this quatrefoil is no ordinary stylised flower. In medieval English the four-leaved plant paris quadrifolia was known as the truelove. Two 15th-century English wills include the bequest of rings in the shape of a truelove: an anulum argenti operatum cum uno trewlove (silver ring fashioned with a truelove) in 1407, and unum anulum argenti et deauratum cum uno trew lofe (a silver and silver-gilt ring with a truelove) in 1464.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1745
Medieval Bronze 'You Have a Loyal/Faithful Love' Seal Matrix Head
Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
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Medieval Bronze Ring with Floral Cross
14th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Comprising a D-section hoop with raised pellets to the shoulders, octagonal bezel with a floral cross. 10.40 grams, 26.04 mm overall, 19.93 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S 1/2, USA 9 1/4, Europe 20.63, Japan 19)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Medieval Bronze Buckle with Crowned Bust
15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Buckle frame with bust to the leading edge, openwork wreath or crown detailing. 4.53 grams, 36 mm
Found near York, Yorkshire, UK, in the 1980s. From an old Yorkshire, UK, collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Large Medieval Bronze Knight's Holy Sepulchre Badge
Circa 13th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Formed as a repoussé cross-crosslet, the symbol of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, with punched-point border. 1.45 grams, 31 mm
Found Nottinghamshire, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The 'Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem' was an order of knighthood under the protection of the Pope, formed around 1099 AD 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 AD.
