Medieval Knight's Gilt Bronze Eagle Heraldic Horse Harness Pendant

Obverse with heraldic heater shield, reverse with double-headed eagle. 0.74 grams, 16 mm



Found Billingsgate spoil from the Thames foreshore, London, UK, circa 1984. Property of an Essex collector.

Group of four quatrefoil plaques, each with a hole to the end of each arm for attachment and detailed enamelled image of an evangelist's emblem (man, lion, eagle, calf) on a deep blue field. 26 grams total, 48-50 mm



with Galerie Charles Ratton, 2021. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12058-217470.

From the 4th century A.D., the vision of Ezekiel and John's Apocalypse, assigned the lion, the angel, the eagle, and the ox a place in the iconography of the Tetramorph to represent the four evangelists. Therefore, during the Middles Ages and until today, the evangelists' emblems are: Matthew represented by an angel, Mark by a lion, Luke by a calf and John by an eagle. Strangely, in this set the image of an angel holding a scroll bears the inscription 'Marcus' (St Mark). These quatrefoils were usually decorating caskets keeping relics of saints, holy books or crosses.

Cuboid with impressed roundel markings disposed 1:6, 2:3, 4:5. 15.6 grams, 13 mm



From the important private collection of dice and gaming pieces of Colin Narbeth, London, UK, collection no.245.