Jewellery, Watches, Antiquities and Objects of Vertu

A Medieval secular pewter badge of a popinjay, late 15th century, the bird facing left with finely detailed moulded feathers, with a long tail and short talons, a collar around its neck with chain attached with a suspension loop, length 43mm, height 32mm. £280-£320

Ex Gunn collection; originally a river find from its patination.

This type of bird badge was previously thought to be a hawk, but the popinjay was the old French name for a parrot which was the most coveted bird kept as a pet in Medieval times, and there is an inscription present on a few examples referring to a popinjay. The name popinjay is associated with the month of May which in Medieval poetry is regarded as the month of love. A song printed in Paris circa 1515-25 has the words ‘le jolis moys de may vert come ung papegey, amoreux, gracieux’. (‘The lovely month of May, green as a Popinjay, loving, gracious’).
See: Spencer, B., Pilgrim Souvenirs and Secular Badges, Boydell Press, 1998, no. 318a and 318b.