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LOT 2149
Tudor Period Lead 'Hornbook' Writing Aid
CIRCA 1500-1633 A.D.
3 in. (51 grams, 75 mm).
A Tudor or Stuart period lead-alloy 'hornbook': incomplete rectangular plaque with small rectangular handle; bearing raised, moulded text on the obverse with hatched forms between four registers, which frame the letters of the alphabet 'ABCDE/FG[reversed]HIKL/MNOPq/RST[VW]XYZ'; low-relief octofoil in centre to the reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Yorkshire, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Exhibited at the Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 21st January-10th March 2025; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefacts on display.
FootnotesThe letter 'U' has been omitted from the alphabet as is common with such objects, as has the letter 'J', suggesting that the book was produced prior to the publication of Charles Butler's English Grammar (1633) which first distinguished between I and J. The letter Z is reversed. Hornbooks were employed as learning aids and commonly made from paper mounted onto wood together with a transparent sheet of horn. Smaller, more portable lead-alloy examples such as this one are generally believed to have been mass produced, whilst still falling within the genre of 'hornbooks'. Interestingly, some scholars have argued that the mistakes and inconsistencies found on lead examples rendered them less effective learning tools, used as children's toys in families with low levels of literacy, or possibly serving as dolls' accessories.
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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Renaissance Devotional Aid Depicting Saint Sebastian Tied to a Coral Branch
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Comprising a parcel-gilt raised discoid base with fluted hexafoil developing to a central column with braided collar and openwork crown socket; inset portion of natural coral branch; figure of St Sebastian modelled in the round with three arrows piercing his shoulders and chest and the stub of a fourth in his shin, portrayed with gilt loincloth and centre-parted hair, braided wire bonds to the left wrist and one ankle' old collector's numbers 'V.590.3H1 7' and '18688' to underside. 190 grams, 12.4 cm
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This lot will require a CITES licence when exported outside the UK.
