File:Medieval ewer spout (side views) (FindID 119233).jpg

English: Cast copper-alloy zoomorphic spout from a 15th-century pedestal-base ewer (length: approx 68mm; width: 53mm; thickness: 19mm; weight: 79.10g).

The spout has an angular dog’s head terminal with a tubular spout extending out from the dog’s open lozenge-shaped mouth (internal diameter of spout: 7mm). The dog’s head has strongly incised ridges and protrusions, including rectangular ears to either side of the head and heavy ridged eyebrows. The eyes are not delineated. A single ridge runs centrally between the ears of the dog, and then continues, although less well defined, down the neck of the spout (with two other ridges to either side) to the hollow opening at the back.

The back of the spout would have been soldered to the vessel. It is undecorated and curves to a pointed terminal, with a slanted indentation continuing to a circular opening at the top, which then leads to the front of the spout. The artefact is in a slightly worn condition with a brown patina.

A similar dog’s head spout can be seen elsewhere on the Portable Antiquities Scheme’s database (record WMID-FFD0E2). Lewis (1987, fig. 8A) illustrates another, from the moat at Cardiff Castle, and dates them to the 15th century. The spouts are normally found detached from their ewers, but Lewis also illustrates an example of a pedestal-base ewer complete with its spout.