The Corpus: Winchester (Old Minster) 90

Volume 4: South-East England

Select a site alphabetically from the choices shown in the box below. Alternatively, browse sculptural examples using the Forward/Back buttons.

Chapters for this volume, along with copies of original in-text images, are available here.

Current Display: Winchester (Old Minster) 90, Hampshire

Overview

Object type: Fragment

Measurements: H. 8 > 7 cm (3.1 > 2.8 in); W. 5 > 4.5 cm (2 > 1.8 in); D. 6 > 4.5 cm (2.4 > 1.8 in)

Stone type: Greyish-yellow, medium-grained, oolitic limestone; Combe Down Oolite, Great Oolite Formation of the Bath area, Great Oolite Group, Middle Jurassic

Plate numbers in printed volume: Ill. 652

Corpus volume reference: Vol 4 p. 322

(There may be more views or larger images available for this item. Click on the thumbnail image to view.)

Present Location

Winchester City Museum, Historic Resources Centre, Hyde House, Winchester, accessions no. 2943 WS 319

Evidence for Discovery

Found in archaeological excavation north of Winchester cathedral in 1964 in rubble deriving from west end of Old Minster; Final Phase 68 (Provisional Phase 1927), c. 1110

Church Dedication

Old Minster

Present Condition

No dressed faces survive; the carved surface is somewhat battered, and there are traces of burning.

Description

The relief is 4 cm deep with a blank, well finished, slightly concave face to the right. Here a scar indicates the start of the next decorative element. On the front and turning into the right there is a cluster of four alternately twisted bands (Z-S-Z-S) spreading from 1.4 cm to a total width of 4.4 cm., each band widening towards the bottom. On the left the relief is c. 1.6 cm deep, and a new decorative element starts at the point where the stone breaks off.

Discussion

Compare Winchester (Old Minster) nos. 89, 91, and Winchester (New Minster) no. 6.

Date

Tenth or early eleventh century

References

Biddle and Kjølbye-Biddle forthcoming a, fig. 154, no. 93

M.B.; B.K.-B.

Endnotes