British Heraldic Escutcheon: 1600s-1700s

[lenmac65]

I searched a former home site this past Sunday that does not show up on any maps that I have seen. My best find was this British heraldic escutcheon, which I dug near the edge of a stone lined cellar hole. It has England’s lion on the left and Scotland’s unicorn on the right. There is a fleur d’lis at the bottom, and two flowers at the top. In addition to the three mounting holes, there is a square shaped hole, maybe caused by a nail driven through the back. I am guessing this was for a tall boy dresser or some other furniture. I have seen ads for reproductions of this same escutcheon claiming it was modeled from a 17th or 18th century piece; I am hoping mine is that old. I also dug nine buttons, mostly small, which I have pictured along with the five buttons and other stuff I found two weeks ago at this same site. Two of the buttons are stamped “London” on back, and one has a nice checkered design. With all these buttons, I thought for sure I would get a coin, but it was not to be. Oh well. By the way, any cleaning tips for the escutcheon would be appreciated. So far I have just done a little tooth brushing with distilled water. Happy hunting and good luck out there.

 

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[Mackaydon]

Vintage Max Rieg Brass? Keyhole Pin Lion King Unicorn Oval Col Williamsburg Fdtn | eBay

Rieg was a German Silversmith, part of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. embossed design of Lion King and Unicorn flanking a keyhole.

www.ebay.com

Don in SoCal

 

[Robot]

Hi lenmac65,
It appears you have an original 1600's keyhole of:
17th Century keyhole escutcheon depicting a lion and a unicorn.
Enjoy!

 

[lenmac65]

Vintage Max Rieg Brass? Keyhole Pin Lion King Unicorn Oval Col Williamsburg Fdtn | eBay

Rieg was a German Silversmith, part of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. embossed design of Lion King and Unicorn flanking a keyhole.

www.ebay.com

Don in SoCal

Thanks for the link. That looks like another example of a more modern reproduction. I don’t think mine is a vintage piece from the 1940s. Importantly, mine has no markings or manufacturing information on the back, which seems more typical of these reproductions. Nice pictures though.

 

[lenmac65]

Hi lenmac65,
It appears you have an original 1600's keyhole of:
17th Century keyhole escutcheon depicting a lion and a unicorn.
Enjoy!

Thanks! That’s what I am thinking too, I.e., an authentic colonial piece.. I have found a number of vintage reproductions online, but no examples claiming to be an actual 17th or 18th century piece. The search continues.

 

[Robot]

Hi lenmac65,
I was intrigued by the square hole next to the keyhole.
I reseached what purpose it may have served.
What I found out was it was used to change the old key for a new key.
Like changing one's "Password" today!

If others know more about this...let us know!

"It's a quick change lock. You out the key in, turn the lock, insert the pin. While holding the pin in you remove the key and and place the new one in. Turn the key back upright. At this point you remove the pin and your lock is set to the new key."

 

[lenmac65]

Hi lenmac65,
I was intrigued by the square hole next to the keyhole.
I reseached what purpose it may have served.
What I found out was it was used to change the old key for a new key.
Like changing one's "Password" today!

If others know more about this...let us know!

"It's a quick change lock. You out the key in, turn the lock, insert the pin. While holding the pin in you remove the key and and place the new one in. Turn the key back upright. At this point you remove the pin and your lock is set to the new key."

Hi. That is interesting. I am thinking the hole is square shaped due to an old square nail. I now wonder if it did have something to do with changing the mechanism, I have no idea about the internal workings of locks, new or old, so I hope a former locksmith can opine. Thanks again..

 

[pepperj]

That is a real sweet keeper.
The 2 examples given are fair representations but different.
Where the tip of the tail should be on yours it certainly looks like another profile of something.

Then directly higher on the side beside the small hole there also looks like a face on the edge.
Ya it's probably my eyes/mind playing a game of pareidolia
Though it wasn't unusual for artists/craftsmen to have a Gargoyle type figure in a picture or a casting.

 

[pepperj]

Hi. That is interesting. I am thinking the hole is square shaped due to an old square nail. I now wonder if it did have something to do with changing the mechanism, I have no idea about the internal workings of locks, new or old, so I hope a former locksmith can opine. Thanks again..

I think it was a case of the item needed to be secured, so why not drive a big sq. nail through it to secure it to the door. Probably back then functionality was more important than looks of the fix.

 

[lenmac65]

That is a real sweet keeper.
The 2 examples given are fair representations but different.
Where the tip of the tail should be on yours it certainly looks like another profile of something.View attachment 2121235
Then directly higher on the side beside the small hole there also looks like a face on the edge.
Ya it's probably my eyes/mind playing a game of pareidolia
Though it wasn't unusual for artists/craftsmen to have a Gargoyle type figure in a picture or a casting.
View attachment 2121236

Thanks for the comments and observations. I think maybe the profile is your eyes playing tricks on you, as you don’t have the benefit of looking at the actual piece 😁. As for the tail, it doesn’t show up real well in the photo I posted. Here’s a better picture with the tail clearly visible.

 

[lenmac65]

I think it was a case of the item needed to be secured, so why not drive a big sq. nail through it to secure it to the door. Probably back then functionality was more important than looks of the fix.

Thanks. That probably is the more likely scenario for the hole. It is strange, though that the nail appears to have been driven in through the back, as the metal bends outward. I would think they would’ve driven the nail through the face of the plate, but who knows. Thanks again.

 

[pepperj]

Thanks for the comments and observations. I think maybe the profile is your eyes playing tricks on you, as you don’t have the benefit of looking at the actual piece 😁. As for the tail, it doesn’t show up real well in the photo I posted. Here’s a better picture with the tail clearly visible.View attachment 2121241

I like my version better

 

[pepperj]

Thanks. That probably is the more likely scenario for the hole. It is strange, though that the nail appears to have been driven in through the back, as the metal bends outward. I would think they would’ve driven the nail through the face of the plate, but who knows. Thanks again.

I didn't notice that now that I looked at an enlarged version.
Still it could of been like a said, one size nail, need it fixed, too long.

 

[Robot]

Thanks. That probably is the more likely scenario for the hole. It is strange, though that the nail appears to have been driven in through the back, as the metal bends outward. I would think they would’ve driven the nail through the face of the plate, but who knows. Thanks again.

Hi Pepper,
Great observation!
Yes, the hole was perpetrated from behind as Pepper noticed.
I can only quess that the face plate was removed to allow this.
One can only presume that this was done to aligne the hole?

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Very nice !

 

[lenmac65]

I think it was a case of the item needed to be secured, so why not drive a big sq. nail through it to secure it to the door. Probably back then functionality was more important than looks of the fix.

In my imagination, perhaps the owner flipped the plate over and nailed it back on in order to obscure the image in protest of the monarchy during the Revolution. Just a thought🤔.

 

[ModernMiner]

Great recoveries. I love finding old decorative buttons.
Congrats,
MM

 

[Digger RJ]

I searched a former home site this past Sunday that does not show up on any maps that I have seen. My best find was this British heraldic escutcheon, which I dug near the edge of a stone lined cellar hole. It has England’s lion on the left and Scotland’s unicorn on the right. There is a fleur d’lis at the bottom, and two flowers at the top. In addition to the three mounting holes, there is a square shaped hole, maybe caused by a nail driven through the back. I am guessing this was for a tall boy dresser or some other furniture. I have seen ads for reproductions of this same escutcheon claiming it was modeled from a 17th or 18th century piece; I am hoping mine is that old. I also dug nine buttons, mostly small, which I have pictured along with the five buttons and other stuff I found two weeks ago at this same site. Two of the buttons are stamped “London” on back, and one has a nice checkered design. With all these buttons, I thought for sure I would get a coin, but it was not to be. Oh well. By the way, any cleaning tips for the escutcheon would be appreciated. So far I have just done a little tooth brushing with distilled water. Happy hunting and good luck out there.

View attachment 2121229View attachment 2121230View attachment 2121231View attachment 2121232View attachment 2121242

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[oldmxrat]

Super cool, love it!