THE CARNFORTH POSNET: AN EXCEPTIONAL LEADED BRONZE POSNET

THE CARNFORTH POSNET: AN EXCEPTIONAL LEADED BRONZE POSNET

ENGLISH, C.1200-1300

the spherical plain body with flared rim, on three tall rectangular-section legs, the tapering handle supported by an open curved brace, and with a downswept kicked terminal

31cm high to tip of handle , 37.5cm long, 16.5cm diameter

Catalogue Note

The spherical-shaped body makes this the earliest type of Medieval posnet recorded. This lot is a remarkable survivor, having been discovered in October 2003 by a metal detectorist, 'feet down' and just a few inches below the surface of a watery meadow near Carnforth, Lancashire (Portable Antiquities database no. LVPL838). It is remarkable not to have split from frost, it is almost undamaged. It appears never to have been used due to the condition of the base of the legs where every detail of casting can be seen, if used in a fire only once and dragged over the hearth stones this would be visible.

Literature

N. Herepath & R. Butler, 'Medieval Archaeology Journal of the Society of Medieval Archaeology', 2004, Vol XLVIII, p.239-40. See also R. Butler, 'A Study Collection of Marked Domestic Brass and Other Base Metalware, c. 1600 - c. 1900' (2001), p. 174, for another very similar posnet, and an accompanying illustration from the 13th century Romance of Alexander, showing a posnet of this type and decoration in use. A comparable posnet sold Bonhams, The John Douglas Collection, 19th April 2021, lot 234, (£7,650), from Ballintium House, Strathardle, Scotland.