Guide to Curating Pilgrim Souvenirs and Medieval Badges in British Contexts

25. November 2018 Author: Amy Jeffs

Guide to Curating Pilgrim Souvenirs and Medieval Badges in British Contexts Identification Start by looking for similar badges in these essential printed and digital catalogues: -

Spencer, Brian, Pilgrim Souvenirs and Secular Badges (1998) – this is essential reading and anyone working on these objects should read at least the introduction.

The Kunera database (click Union Jack for English language): http://www.kunera.nl/ The Museum of London Collections Search The British Museum Collections Online For more advanced work: Check in the Heilig en Profan catalogues (four volumes) which feature continental badges: H. J. E. van Beuningen and A. M. Koldeweij, eds., Heilig en Profaan, four volumes (1993; 2001; 2012; 2018).

Ask questions such as: -

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What is the badge made of and how? o Most medieval badges are cast from lead alloy. A video of the process can be seen here. Compare it to images in catalogues. If it is unusually dark and/or shiny it is unlikely to be lead. If it is thin and the image can be seen on both sides then it may be a stamped metal sheet. o Does it have any other materials? Some badges had coloured backings or mirrors applied to them.

What does the badge show? o Describe the shape of badge (e.g. shield, heart, circular) and the image it bears in the simplest terms (e.g. the badge depicts a robed figure with a cross in low relief).

Does the badge have an inscription? o Try transcribing it. This can help identify the subject of the imagery, but accurate transcription may require specialist expertise. Ask for help or see if you can find a similar badge to compare it with.

How was the badge worn? o Does it have evidence of sewing loops or a pin and clasp?

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o If neither, is it a pendant? Is it freestanding? Could it be fitted onto something? Have holes been created later, for attachment purposes?

Do we know anything else about this object? o Some badges are recognisable from known saints’ shrines or as the livery of a noble family. If so, then close the description with further information.

Phrases like, ‘this badge may be associated with...’ are useful and leave room for doubt.

Examples

British Museum, 1856,0701.2116 This mould-cast lead alloy badge is shaped like a shield. It has a beaded border and encloses an image of a lamb bearing a flag (an Agnus Dei) within delicate open-work tracery. There is a horizontal pin fixed to the back and several pinch-back clasps that may have been used to attach a coloured or reflective sheet to the reverse.

British Museum, 1853,0502.5 This open-work badge is in the form of a crown decorated with three fleur-de-lys terminals separated by knops and with studding along the head-band. A mound for a vertical pin

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fitting remains on the reverse. This badge may be a pilgrim souvenir associated with the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor at St. Peter's Abbey, Westminster.

Digitisation Scanning -

One of the most effective ways of making a 2D image of a medieval badge is by scanning it with a high-resolution scanner.

Scan each side of the badge with the scanner lid lifted.

Use a large sheet of white backing, held away from the object by at least 5 cm. This disperses the shadow and makes it easier to cut the badge out on Adobe Photoshop.

Use the Magic Select tool on Adobe Photoshop to cut away the background and create a clean image.

Zoom in and inspect the result to make sure details are crisp. Crop and adjust rotation to make the image neat and it is ready to display online.

Cataloguing If you work in a museum, the format of your cataloguing will depend on pre-existing categories of your archive/database. However, your catalogue entry should roughly include: -

Dimensions (mm x mm).

Date – use Brian Spencer’s 1998 Catalogue.

Find-Spot – be as accurate as possible.

Description – see above.

Bibliography – include mentions of the specific badge and, if time and space allow, badges with the same imagery.

Notes – include here any scholarly theories that are too in-depth or hypothetical for the description.

Interpretation Badges can be challenging to display because of their small size and dull appearance. They can be brought to life by imaginatively engaging with their different features. For example: -

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Mapping find spots against the pilgrimage sites where they were sold (if known). This can be done manually for small numbers of badges and using GIS for larger databases. Maps are a great way of showing that people travelled with these objects.

3D modelling and uploading to Sketchfab (a free platform which allows you to attach annotations to the model). Here are some models made for the British Museum.

Casting! Learning about how badges were made in their thousands and seeing how shiny they were when freshly cast. A silent clip can be found here and a longer version with voice-over, here.

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Stories! Many badges have a narrative attached to them, whether it is the life of a saint, a political story, or the circumstances of the badge’s loss or discovery.