Winchester City Museum, Historic Resources Centre, Hyde House, Winchester, accessions no. 2943 WS 45

See no. 67.

Old Minster

Two dressed faces survive; the carved face is slightly battered, and there are slight traces of a pink rendering.

The bottom of the piece is formed by a rectangular area of dressed (bed?) face, 9 by 4.5 cm, indicating that the carved leaf sloped to the left. This bottom face is rectangular and ends in a straight line. There is a second dressed face on the left with a slight lean to the left in relation to the bottom face and at a right angle to the carved face. To the right, the background is about 8 cm behind the uppermost surface of the leaf, which is almost fleshy in its rounded three-dimensionality. To the left there is another element, possibly a stem. To the right there is a horizontal tripartite motive with hollowed parts, like the leaves on Winchester (Old Minster) no. 67, which was found in the same layer. It is impossible to say which way up this piece should be.

This piece is very three-dimensional. A capital with similar elements can be seen in the Benedictional of St Aethelwold, fol. 92v (reproduced in Warner and Wilson 1910). Winchester (Old Minster) no. 67 is of the same style and may be part of the same capital, although there is no direct fit. Nos. 67 and 68, which is also similar, were found in the same layer as Winchester (Old Minster) no. 70, while no. 69, also in the same style, was found very near the other three in an equivalent context.

Late tenth century

Biddle and Kjølbye-Biddle forthcoming a, fig. 150, no. 71