Located in the museum’s new Gallery of Medieval Life is this really rather lovely copper allow roundel, dating from around 1400 to 1530. It shows St. Mark’s winged lion (a symbol of the city of Venice) and it was likely part of a tomb slab.
It was once in St. Michael’s Church, Coslany which is a church that is still standing, located near to the rather wonderful White Lion pub on Oak Street. This is now a redundant church, having ceased religious services in 1971, which has been used by a variety of occupiers over recent years and it currently houses the Oak Circus Centre.
I find this sort of object fascinating because of the journey that it has been on. Originally funded by a family for their relative’s tomb, it was perhaps taken during the Reformation to either save it or by an opportunist wanting to keep it. It’s survived for several generations and it has been in the collections of Norfolk Museum Service since 1977.