VESSEL 384700

Description: A late medieval or early post-medieval (c.1400-1550) cast copper-alloy integral vessel mount (handle lug) in the form of three-dimensional female head from a hanging laver (bowl to hold water). Part of the vessel wall survives to one side. The object measures 36.52x41.07x18.42mm and weighs 72.03g. The face is D-shaped in section, being flat to the reverse (which faces the inside of the vessel). It is moulded in low relief and is now very worn. The hair comprises a moulded strip max.10.08mm wide, extending to cheek level (also the level of the vessel to the side). The nose is square-ish and the most prominent feature, being now rather worn. Below is a semi-circular depression for the mouth and above two diagonal depressions for eyes. While the top of the head is rounded, the bottom is rather more triangular, to the chin. This half is superimposed on the vessel wall. The neck extends thickly, at a slight angle downwards in a V-shape. To the reverse of the top half of the head, which is 18.42mm thick, is a hole 9.21mm wide and 10.43mm high. It is slightly worn to the top, giving the longer dimension. The hole is 9.49mm deep. The vessel wall is 3.55mm thick at the rim, and extends at c.135 degrees to the head. The breaks are old and the object has traces of black (probably sooting) on the outside surface and behind the head. Cf. HAMP-D38182 which is similarly crude. Several more finely decorated examples can be seen on this database, for example ESS-A02895 and SF-9A1617. These items are generally dated to the fifteenth century, although the crudeness of this example perhaps suggests a later date (Geoff Egan pers. comm. 13 March 2009). See a near-complete example in the British Museum, accession number 1956,0702.1.

Date: 1400 - 1550

Object type: VESSEL

Last import: August 15, 2017