Description
A carved figure with dark hair spreading to either side of the head holds a large shield against its body. A pale collar contrasts with the dark blue-green robe. Both hands clasp the shield’s lower sides, with elongated fingers following its curved edges. No wings are visible. The shield displays alternating red and pale gold diagonal bands, edged with dark lines, running from the upper left to the lower right of the photograph.
Heraldry
Provisional blazon: Bendy Gules and Argent.
In plain English: A shield divided into alternating red and white or silver diagonal bands. The diagonal pattern is clear, but wear makes the original number and precise sequence of the bands uncertain. The tinctures are inferred from the surviving red and pale paint.
Identification: RCHME: Bendy of eight, gules and argent ?Talbot; Buckeridge – FITZGERALD.
Condition
The figure has extensive paint loss, particularly across the forehead, nose, cheeks and chin, although traces of the painted eyes and red lips survive. The shield’s diagonal pattern remains clear, but substantial patches of missing paint expose the wood towards its lower half. Several branching cracks occur near the bottom, with a further split extending towards the point. The hands and surrounding robe are worn and chipped, and dark circular recesses are visible on both sides of the body.