Floor tile fragment
Medieval, about 1410
Found in the river at the Recreation Ground, near the site of Hyde Abbey, Winchester, Hampshire
This glazed inlaid floor tile seems to show a lion mask, but a more complete tile in Winchester Cathedral with the same pattern suggests that it could perhaps be the face of a Green Man or Green Lion, with various leaf shapes sprouting from his mane. One leaf shape survives to the bottom left of this fragment. Green Man faces sprouting foliage are quite common designs in medieval art, and green cats, lions and dragons are also known. A group of tiles including this design are dated to about 1410 in Winchester Cathedral, and examples of this group of tiles found in Winchester College are known to have been purchased at Newbury, Berkshire at about this time.