Shield Brooch
c. 1400 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The small size of this brooch, and the inscription (abcd is my lesson) suggest it was made for a child. Children wore the same types and styles of jewellery as their parents, and wealthy children were often just as lavishly dressed. French was the language of the court, and would have been fairly widely understood and spoken by the elite in medieval Europe.
The inscription may refer to a phrase used on a primer to teach a young child to read or have been an example phrase copied down as a writing practice.
The inscription may refer to a phrase used on a primer to teach a young child to read or have been an example phrase copied down as a writing practice.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gold, engraved |
| Brief description | Gold child's brooch in the form of a shield, engraved with cross-hatching and inscribed 'ABCD is my lesson'. England or France, about 1400. |
| Physical description | Brooch, gold, in the form of a shield. The shield is engraved with a cross-hatched border and a cross-hatched bend dexter. Engraved in French in black letter script on the border cest / ma / le / con and on the bend abcd' ('ABCD c'est ma lecon: My lesson is ABCD'). The syllables of the inscription in the border are separated by quatrefoils.The small size of this brooch and the inscription suggest it was made for a child. the upper right corner broken off and reattached. The plain back with remains of a fastening. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'cest / ma / le / con
abcd (French, black letter)
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| Credit line | Given by Dame Joan Evans |
| Object history | A gold shield shaped brooch engraved with a lion rampant was found on the site of Folkingham Castle, Lincolnshire in the 1860s (J. Cherry; Antiquaries Journal, Vol 65, pp.471-2). |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | The small size of this brooch, and the inscription (abcd is my lesson) suggest it was made for a child. Children wore the same types and styles of jewellery as their parents, and wealthy children were often just as lavishly dressed. French was the language of the court, and would have been fairly widely understood and spoken by the elite in medieval Europe. The inscription may refer to a phrase used on a primer to teach a young child to read or have been an example phrase copied down as a writing practice. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.37-1975 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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