Medieval Pewter Head of John the Baptist Pilgrim's Badge

ENGLAND, 14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.

3/4 in. (2.97 grams, 20 mm).

Discoid type depicting a bearded face within a raised border of annulets, each with a pellet at its centre; integrally cast pin to reverse. [No Reserve]

Provenance

Found Alford, Lincolnshire, UK.
Recorded with UKDFD no.49065.

Literature

Cf. Spencer, B., Pilgrim Souvenirs and Secular Badges, Woodbridge, 2010, item 254b.

Footnotes

The badge possibly represents the head of John the Baptist on a platter, but an alternative interpretation is that it depicts the face of Christ in a form known as the 'Vernicle' or 'Veronica', which arises from the legend that the face of Christ was miraculously impressed on the handkerchief or veil that Saint Veronica gave to him to wipe his face on the way to Calvary. In support of the case for this interpretation, Spencer illustrates another circular badge of generally similar type (No. 254c), but with a border inscribed with the first line of a popular 14th-century prayer composed in honour of the Vernicle. In support of the case for the John the Baptist interpretation, some very similar badges depict a rather dishevelled head with a sharply couped neck.

CONDITION

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LOT 1845