Welcome to another instalment of my blog and crikey, it's a belter!
I purchased a pair of items from a contact of mine recently and whilst I had already fallen in love the shear age of them, it was something else incised into the back of one of them that grabbed my attention...
So, hold onto your belts and braces, as we travel back to Medieval England and take a closer look at the fascinating world of apotropaic/protection marks.
These, my friends, are a very rare pair of English 15th century oak heraldic panels. Not only are they very old, but they have also revealed evidence of an often overlooked aspect of medieval belief: apotropaic, or protective, markings.
The panels display heraldic crests with traces of crosses and stylised fruit within blind tracery. More intriguingly, the reverse of one panel bears two sets of concentric circles, one a distinctive bullseye or spiral form, the other a simpler double circle motif.
Concentric circles and spirals are widely believed to have served an apotropaic purpose, intended to confuse or repel malevolent forces. Some historians have also suggested that they may represent the Five Holy Wounds of Christ or a symbolic protective eye.
Research has uncovered close parallels elsewhere. At Littlehempston Church in Devon, a medieval effigy near the south door bears concentric circles carved into the side of its head, marks that have similarly been interpreted as protective in nature.
Comparable examples can also be found at the Archbishop’s Palace complex in Kent, where a matching double circle motif survives on the wall of the medieval barn and former Great Hall.
The panels also retain traces of scorch marks. Deliberate burning of timbers was another form of protective practice, reflecting widespread beliefs in the power of fire to ward off evil and misfortune.
Similar examples survive in historic buildings across Britain, including Haddon Hall in Derbyshire.
Taken together, these markings make the panels exceptionally rare survivors of medieval protective traditions. The bullseye or spiral motif is particularly significant and may represent one of the earliest examples of its type that I have encountered.
These items are available to buy HERE
That's it for this time folks! I hope you've found this to be as exciting as I did! See you when the next mind boggling antique is discovered!
Until then, stay safe, keep buying those antiques and keep spreading that Folk & Fable love!
Cheerio!
Stephen
Owner Folk & Fable Antiques
Shop from the Folk & Fable collection HERE