Sculpted female head of stone with paint surviving, recovered from the rubble fill of a wall at Hyde Abbey, Winchester, Hampshire.

Sculpted female head

Medieval, probably 13th century

Found by Winchester Museums Archaeology Section at the Hyde Abbey Community Excavations, Winchester, Hampshire in 1997

Arguably the best find from the community excavations of 1995-9 at Hyde Abbey, it is uncertain whom she represents - perhaps a saint, or even the Virgin Mary. Perhaps she was once part of a statue from a chapel in the Abbey, but she ended up in an undignified position, as part of the rubble infill for a wall foundation. Being buried in this way may have contributed to the survival of the paint on her face, however, reminding us that medieval religious buildings might once have been far more colourful than they appear today.