Pilgrim Souvenirs and Secular Badges (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781843835448)

An exceptional reference work to pilgrim and secular badges of the middle ages.

This is the first major catalogue in English devoted to medieval badges. These fascinating objects provide us with a guide to the popularity of different cults and pilgrim centres, supplying evidence of the sometimes arduous journeys not only to famous and far-off sanctuaries like Compostela, but to native shrines such as that of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury, or the tombs of local, unofficial saints. Often mass-produced and sold in tens of thousands, pilgrim souvenirs offer pointers to fashion in contemporary precious jewellery. The secular badges include a wealth of non-religious imagery, playful and amatory, satirical, celebratory and heraldic. Illustrating nearly 800 items ofpopular medieval jewellery, the catalogue contained within the book describes previously unpublished finds retrieved from datable archaeological London waterfront deposits, and provides the basis of a chronological framework for future excavations.

BRIAN SPENCER was the Senior Keeper at the Museum of London, with special responsibility for the Museum's collection of medieval everyday objects.

Author: Brian Spencer
ISBN-10: 1843835444
ISBN-13: 9781843835448
Publisher: Boydell Press
Language: English
Published: 05/20/2010
Pages: 362
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.50lbs
Size: 9.70h x 7.40w x 1.20d