Een rijk versierde, laat-middeleeuwse pareerstang uit Mensingeweer (De Marne, Gr.)

Samenvatting

An ornate late-medieval hilt from Mensingeweer (De Marne, Gr). A finely decorated bronze tang, part of the hilt of a medieval sword found at Mensingeweer (mun. of De Marne, prov. of Groningen) is magnificent both in its form and decoration. Both sides of the axe-shaped tang have been powerfully en-graved, depicting animal and floral motifs; in addition, one of the sides may have been enameled. The applied style, though early medieval at first glance, in combination with the development of the form of the tang recalls German, Scandinavian and British parallels dated to the 13th or 14th century. The Mensingeweer find, together with three other bronze objects in the vicinity, is discussed against the background of the rapidly expanding muddy flat at the mouth of the river Hunze, where the medieval districts of Hunsingo and Fivelingo frequently clashed.