Médiéval cuivre Plaque avec inscription (Sans prix de réserve)

“Medieval Copper Plate with Inscription

Culture / Period: Medieval
Date / Period: 12th-14th century
Material: Copper
Dimensions: 36 × 13 mm
Condition: Good condition

No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid.

Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 834

The current owner (S.N.J. S.) purchased the Copper Plate with Inscription from P.P. in Baarland, the Netherlands.

The previous owner, P.P. from Baarland (the Netherlands), stated that the object had been in his collection since the 1990's.

According to the previous owner, the object had previously been in a private collection in the Netherlands since the 1990's.

No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
This small engraved copper plate dates to the High to Late Medieval period (12th-14th century). It is decorated with a framed inscription executed in relief or shallow engraving, incorporating a central rosette motif. Although the inscription has become heavily worn through age and use and can no longer be read with certainty, its deliberate layout indicates that the text originally held functional or symbolic significance.

The forked terminal suggests that the plate was designed to be attached to another object rather than used independently. Fittings of this type were employed as decorative or identifying mounts on wooden chests, caskets, furniture, liturgical objects, leather equipment, or personal belongings. Medieval craftsmen frequently embellished such mounts with inscriptions, religious invocations, abbreviated phrases, or ornamental lettering that combined decoration with meaning.

Copper and copper-alloy fittings were produced by specialised metalworkers using casting and finishing techniques that supplied both urban and rural markets throughout medieval Europe. Even relatively small fittings such as this demonstrate the importance attached to ornamentation and written symbolism in medieval craftsmanship.

While the precise text can no longer be securely interpreted, the surviving letter forms and decorative border remain valuable evidence of medieval epigraphy and metalworking. Comparable inscribed fittings are considerably less common than plain utilitarian mounts, making examples preserving decorative inscriptions especially appealing to collectors of medieval artefacts.

This piece forms a tangible connection to the medieval world, where even everyday objects were often enhanced with carefully executed inscriptions and decorative motifs reflecting the artistic traditions and craftsmanship of the period.”