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Description
Winged angel on the east side of NA2, holding a heraldic shield. The figure has a frontal head and torso, long hair and outstretched wings. The hands rest against the lower sides of the shield. Painted decoration survives on the clothing, wings and shield.
Heraldry
Blazon: Quarterly, France modern and England: 1 and 4 Azure, three fleurs-de-lis Or; 2 and 3 Gules, three lions passant guardant in pale Or.
Plain English: The royal arms of medieval England: the first and fourth quarters are blue with three gold fleurs-de-lis, representing the English Crown’s claim to France; the second and third are red with three gold lions, representing England.
These are the Royal Arms of England, in the form adopted under Henry IV in 1406 and used throughout the period in which this ceiling is thought to have been made. The fleurs-de-lis represent the English monarch’s claim to the French throne, while the three lions are the arms of England. Although much of the original gilding has been lost, the arms remain clearly recognisable. The design cannot by itself identify which fifteenth-century king was reigning when the shield was made.
Identification: RCHME: Azure, a human figure or (Salisbury diocese); Buckeridge: See of Sarum.
Condition
The carving is substantially intact, including the head, torso, hands, wings and shield. The wing on the viewer’s left has lost much of its painted and incised feather detail, while the other retains clearer feathering. Considerable paint survives on the shield, although there are extensive areas of flaking, abrasion and loss.