File:Harness pendant of probable medieval (1250 - 1450) date (FindID 87858).jpg

English: Cast copper alloy heraldic harness pendant of probable medieval (1250 - 1450) date. The pendant is sub-circular (oval) in plan and sub-rectangular in cross-section. The edges of the pendant are slightly beveled and the profile is slightly bowed (convex). On the top of the pendant is an integral cast suspension loop which is set at 90 degrees to the plain of the pendant. The pendant measures 53.1mm in length, 43.5mm in width, and is 1.5mm thick. The suspension loop measures 10.8mm in length, 4.4mm in width and it is 8.5mm thick. Hole through the suspension loop has a diameter of 3.6mm. The pendant weighs 12.52 grams.

 The front face of the pendant has an incised and gilt design. However, both the front and reverse of the pendant are very worn and corroded. This has resulted in the loss of definition of the design. From what remains it seems that the central design is a stylised fleur de lys; the central element being formed from an incised inverted ‘tear-drop’ shaped petal. The three petals of the fluer de lys were probably gilded but this applied decoration is now lost. The reverse was probably undecorated. 


 

The harness pendant is a mid light green colour with an uneven and abraded patina. There are small patches of light green active powdery corrosion on many surfaces of the pendant. The pendant has also been slightly abraded in the soil. This abrasion has resulted in a loss of decoration on the front surface and an irregular asymmetrical shape. Similar shield-shaped heraldic horse-harness pendants have been dated to the middle of the medieval period, specifically the late 13th and 14th centuries. This example is similar to Griffiths figure 5. (Griffiths: 1986: Horse Harness Pendants. Finds Research Group Data Sheet 5).