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LOT 1405
Medieval Terracotta Pilgrim's Horn
CIRCA 15TH CENTURY A.D.
10 1/2 in. (298 grams, 26.5 cm).
Formed with a slightly curved profile and with suspension loops; buff-coloured.
ProvenanceAcquired 1990s-early 2000s.
East Anglian private collection.
Apart from badges as souvenirs of visits to various saints’ shrines, pilgrims might also bear away with them various noise-making items such as horns, whistles, rattles and bells. The miniature horn-shaped lead whistles known from London and Salisbury bear various inscriptions including bla me [blow me] and ave maria. In the contemporary ‘morality’ play Mankind (c.1465-70) of East Anglian provenance, the character Nought says I kan pype in a Walsyngham wystyll, which suggests that such souvenir whistles were available from the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham too, and that already such ‘tourist’ trinkets were regarded as a proverbial type of worthlessness, ‘not worth a whistle’, indeed.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Medieval Iron Knife with Bronze Pommel
Circa 1375-1400 A.D.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £80
Comprising a single cutting edge; scale tang with shaped pommel. 65 grams, 22 cm
Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
Amongst the considerable variations in Medieval knife blade shapes, the two most obvious are the blades with angled backs (like here) and those with stepped backs. -
Medieval 'Thames' Pewter Spangle Group
Circa 13th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Mixed group including a discoid tag with three roundels, a discoid tag with hatched design and openwork attachment lug and other types. 2.57 grams total, 10-22 mm
Found Billingsgate spoil from the Thames foreshore, London, UK, circa 1984. Property of an Essex collector. -
German Memento Mori Signet Ring
Circa 1600 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,720
Substantial gold hoop with ribbed shoulders and underside to the discoid bezel; incuse pelleted border enclosing a skull and single long bone above a bird's nest. 22.40 grams, 27.88 mm overall, 21.55 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V, USA 10 1/2, Europe 23.77, Japan 22)
Acquired in the 1980s. Property of a London gentleman. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11980-210514.
