Homepage

1.
SMRPI
The Foundation

2.
Late
Medieval Badges

3.
Publications

4.
News

5.
Van Beuningen
Family Collection

6.
Documentation
System

7.
Exhibitions

8.
Links

The Religious and Profane MEDIEVAL BADGES FOUNDATION is a non-profit organisation, set up in 1992 by the collector H.J.E. van Beuningen. Its purpose is to effect a breakthrough where unfamilarity with the phenomenon ‘badges’ is concerned, and to safeguard continuity of research into the subject.

Badges are small lead-tin brooches dating from the late twelfth to the middle of the sixteenth century, that due to excavation or earthmoving projects can come to light after lying in the earth for hundreds of years. Many thousands of badges have been unearthed during the last thirty years through the use of metaldetectors. Their inexhaustible variety of representation and theme afford an unique insight into popular culture in the late Middle Ages.

p.2: Medieval Badges

During the last ten years the Foundation has published two important standard works on late medieval badges. Ca. 2300 religious and profane badges from a large number of private and public collections are illustrated and described in these volumes.

HEILIG EN PROFAAN 1 (1993), HEILIG EN PROFAAN 2 (2001).

For more information concerning these two books and how to order them:

p.3: Publications
Read the Introduction and the Summaries of most essays in HEILIG EN PROFAAN 2 (2001) in English.

A third volume in this series is on its way: HEILIG EN PROFAAN 3 (2010)

Information on Project HP3 can be found under:

p.4: News

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It is in very great measure due to the collector van Beuningen’s inspiration and stimulation that research into late medieval badges is being done and the results published. More than 4000 documented badges and fragments of badges are included in the van Beuningen Collection, making it the largest and most representative collection of late medieval badges in the world.

p.5: Van Beuningen Family Collection

The Foundation’s databank now comprises more than 8000 badges and fragments of badges. The Foundation encourages the reporting of badges finds. 

p.6: Documentation System

Another of the Foundation’s goals is the promotion of the late medieval badge by means of exhibitions and other public presentations.

p.7: Exhibitions