Description
A carved figure with dark, shoulder-length hair holds a large shield in both hands. The face has clearly painted eyes and eyebrows, reddish lips and a narrow reddish band above the forehead. A pale robe has a broad collar retaining red and grey paint. No wings are visible. The shield is quartered: the upper-left and lower-right quarters display a gold fret on red; the other two show a red chevron on an ermine background. These are the quartered Audley/Tuchet arms.
Heraldry
Provisional blazon: Quarterly, first and fourth Gules fretty Argent; second and third Ermine, a chevron Gules.
In plain English: The shield is divided into four. The first and fourth quarters have a white or silver interlaced lattice on red; the second and third have a white ermine field bearing a red chevron.
The quarterly arrangement and principal devices are clearly visible, but the faded colouring makes some tinctures provisional. The interlaced design is described as fretty, and the small dark marks on the pale quarters are interpreted as ermine spots.
Identification: RCHME: (as SA3-W) Audley; Buckeridge: Quarterly 1 and 4 Gules a fret or AUDLEY, 2 and 3 Ermine a chevron gules TOUCHET.
Tap for more details about the Audley/Tuchet families
Condition
The face and heraldic design remain readily legible, although the painted surfaces show wear and scattered losses. The collar has extensive patches of missing paint, and there is a small pale loss on the nose. A pronounced vertical split runs down the arm on the left of the photograph, beside a dark circular hole. Further cracks cross the lower-right quarter of the shield and extend towards its point. The hands and shield edges are worn, with small chips and areas of exposed wood.