Pewter pendant in the shape of a lute, a guitar-like instrument. The pendant has a thin neck and a round body with a loop on the side so it could be worn as a chain. This pendant in the form of a lute is unique. Made from pewter, a binary alloy of tin and copper, it was recovered from the Thames foreshore by mudlarks in 1997. It has survived the vicissitudes of centuries because the waterlogged environment and muddy, anaerobic conditions of the foreshore are extremely beneficial to the preservation of metals.The lute design with its relatively narrow neck, slightly curved shoulders and oval body closely resembles string instruments of the early 15th century.

1466 AD - 1535 AD

000094