ENGLISH PILGRIM’S BADGE, 14TH-15TH CENTURY AD

$155.00 Sale
Lead alloy, 7/8” height. A circular disk with concentric circles within a chevron border. The reverse flat and plain. Integral barrel-shaped tubular bail. These were produced in the Holy Land for pilgrims who wore them at home as prestige symbols. They were sold at shrines of saints where holy relics of the saints, sometimes, the whole corpus were preserved. The symbols are specific to the life and achievements of the saint and in this instance, probably have armorial significance tracing back to the Crusades. Pilgrims wore them strung as necklaces, on hats, or attached to the clothing.
Go to full site