Medieval Silver Round Seal Matrix with Sleeping Lion

Standing four-square on a rectangular base, in the heraldic 'statant' pose; the head raised and mouth open, mane represented by radiating curved scales on the neck and back with nicked edges, long recurved tail with characteristic feathered finial; possibly a gaming piece. 56.9 grams, 49 mm wide

Fine condition.

Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Navestock, Essex, UK, in 2010. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no 114450-195656.

Stephen Pollington writes: 'The purpose of the piece must remain the object of speculation but one context suggests itself immediately: the 12th century set of character figures carved in ivory, discovered on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. Stylistically, the Romanesque lion must be dated a little later than these figures since it displays classic 'heraldic' features associated with the medieval period, but the quality of the gilding and the nature of the bronze are suggestive of the Anglo-Scandinavian style of workmanship. As a gaming piece, it would be tempting to regard the roaring lion as a natural emblem of aggressive kingship. An alternative suggested use is that of a casket fitting. Caskets and coffers with heraldic decaoration are a known feature of wealthy medieval households, such as that of St. Louis now in the Louvre, Paris ('a small coffer, decorated with enamel medallions and heraldic shields, includes the arms of Louis IX of France and his mother Blanche of Castile among twenty-one members of the French nobility from the early thirteenth century' in the words of Audrey L. Jacobs) or the 'Minnekastchen' in Nurnberg's Germanisches Nationalmuseum (inventory HG 216). Such caskets were richly furnished with decorative detailing. A possible parallel was found at Knocking in Shropshire in 2019 and recorded with the PAS (reference WREX-ADF3E6); this lion is also modelled in the round, and its pose is 'statant gardant' with a similar (though less well-defined) double-curved tail. The integrally modelled tail is perhaps delicate for a gaming piece or casket mount and would have been easily damaged in use. Therefore, the piece might be an item of heraldic tomb furniture, perhaps similar to the carved and gilded wooden lion figurine which decorated the cap attached to the helm of the Black Prince in Canterbury cathedral.

Disc bezel with incuse design including arosette amid fronds with horse-head supporter. 6.34 grams, 23.14 mm overall, 19.83 mm internal diameter (approximate size British U 1/2, USA 10 1/4, Europe 23.15, Japan 22)



Private collection formed since the 1940s. UK art market. Property of an Essex gentleman.

Mainly comprising fire steels, sickles, tools and other miscellaneous objects; cleaned and conserved. 1.8 kg total, 5-41.4 cm



Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.