Medieval Knight's Bronze Heraldic Horse Harness Badge with Rampant Lion

With fluted shoulders and scooped edges to the bezel, pointillé border and Greek monogram of a cross with 'MHNλ' finials. 6.72 grams, 21.82 mm overall, 18.19 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P 1/2 , USA 7 3/4, Europe 16.86, Japan 16)



Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.

Globular in form with a sub-triangular projection to apex pierced for suspension; three raised heater-shields to the equator displaying various (worn) heraldic devices, a lion, a spread eagle and an unidentified device; portion of base and lower body lost in antiquity. 137 grams, 61 mm



Found Berkshire, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme record id. BERK-140822.

Official London weights carried the arms of Richard Earl of Cornwall, his son Edmund or the de Clares; the lion rampant, the spread eagle or the chevrons (Ward Perkins (1940: 171-173).

Being a single, double-sided leaf from an early printed paper Latin bible for the Book of Judges, chapters 15-18; the text set in two columns of blackletter type with numerous hand-applied rubrications (embellishments) in red, with foliation and other marks; square woodblock versals; printed by Johann Gruninger of Strasbourg with commentary by Nicholas de Lyra. 11 grams, 33 x 24.5 cm



Ex M Cummings collection, UK, 1990s-2000s. Accompanied by a Vulgate Latin text with English translation.

This portion of the Book of Judges tells of Samson slaying a thousand Philistines with the 'jawbone of an ass' together with the betrayal by Delilah, his loss of strength and capture when his hair was cut and and his eventual death by pulling down the pillars.