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Spur 'from the field of Agincourt'

Spur
15th century (made), late 19th century or early 20th century (altered)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
England

An iron rowel spur embedded in a tree root setting with an applied brass plaque claiming it came from the battlefield of Agincourt. However, the root has been softened and bent around the spur, rather than growing naturally

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Object details

Categories
Arms & Armour
Fakes & Forgeries
Object type
Spur
TitleSpur 'from the field of Agincourt' (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Iron
Wood
Forging (Metal Forming)
Brief description
15th century iron rowel spur embedded in a fake root setting with a brass plaque claiming it came from the battlefield of Agincourt
Physical description
An iron rowel spur embedded in a tree root setting with an applied brass plaque claiming it came from the battlefield of Agincourt. However, the root has been softened and bent around the spur, rather than growing naturally
Dimensions
  • From base of wooden root to top of wooden root height: 14.9cm
  • Across the protruding elements of the iron spur; maximum width width: 15cm
  • From the base of the front of wooden root to tip of protruding iron of spur (maximum depth) depth: 10.5cm (Note: The wooden root base is roughly triangular; maximum width: 6.6 cm x maximum depth 5.2 cm)
Marks and inscriptions
English, on a brass plaque applied to the root: 'From the field of / Agincourt / Fought on the day / of / Crispin Crispianus / 25th Oct[ober] 1415
Gallery label
SPUR
15th century in a 19th century setting
Said to have been found on the battlefield at Agincourt
Although the spur is genuine, the root in which it is lodged has not grown around it but has been softened in water and bent around the object. Other examples purportedly from sites of important English battles have similarly inscribed plaques.
Credit line
Bequeathed by Major Victor Alexander Farquharson
Object history
Investigation of the wood in the 1960s established that it was probably spruce, not known to grow in the area of the Pas de Calais. A virtually identical spur, also set in a tree root with a similar plaque mentioning another famous battle was sold at auction in 1962.
Historical context
These interesting antiquities are likely to have been produced by an antique dealer specialising in arms and armour. In the 1920s spurs were relatively cheap and the dealer came up with an ingenious idea to boost the value of plain spurs.
Association
Battle of Agincourt
Bibliographic references
  • Curry, Anne. Catalogue entry, 'Rowel spur embedded in a tree root'. In: The Battle of Agincourt, ed. by Anne Curry and Malcolm Mercer. Published to accompany the exhibition at the Royal Armouries, Tower of London, September 2015 - January 2016. New Haven and London: Yale University Press in association with Royal Armouries, 2015. ISBN: 9780300214307
  • Jones, Mark (ed.), Fake? : The Art of Deception, Berkeley, University of California Press, 1990
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
M.484-1927

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Record createdJune 14, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O100801/spur-from-the-field-of-spur-unknown/
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