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MODERN BUTTON
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Gilt cast copper alloy two-part hollow button with moulded coat of arms of the Duke of Cornwall, consisting of a shield containing 15 circular discs or 'bezants', which supposedly derives from the Byzantine gold coins used to release the Duke of Cornwall from the Saracens during the Crusades. The shield is surmounted but the Prince of Wales feathers and surrounded by the Royal Garter with the words CORNWALL COUNTY LUNATIC ASYLUM within. Orginally known as 'Cornwall County Asylum' it was founded in 1815 at Westheath Avenue, Bodmin and later became known as St Lawrence's Hospital in the 1870s. There is a soldered attachment loop on the back, surrounded by the backmark ORANGE GILT COLOUR, which refers to the quality of the gilding and was used mainly in the 1820s and 1830s.
| Artist / Maker | Anonymous, Byzantine |
|---|---|
| Date | 1815 |
| Culture / Origin | Byzantine, United Kingdom |
| Department | Byzantine |
About the Artist
Provenance & Source
Image & data: The Portable Antiquities Scheme via Europeana · Licence: BY 3.0.
Condition
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