Saxon & Medieval — Late Medieval; late 14th century
Bead, rosary bead
Gold rosary bead, which is trilobed, the lobes bearing the letters 'R.I.A' from the word 'GLORIA', meaning 'Glory'. There is a black background to the letters, which is probably niello, and they are flanked by floral and leaf decoration. The word 'bead' comes from the Old English 'bede', meaning 'prayer'. People fingered sets of beads called rosaries to count their prayers of penance and devotion, and 'bedesmen' were employed to pray for the dead.
- Category:
- Saxon & Medieval
- Object ID:
- 80.329
- Object name:
- bead, rosary bead
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- —
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- Late Medieval; late 14th century
- Material:
gold
- Measurements/duration:
- H 13 mm, H 14 mm, W 11 mm (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 80%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.