Gothic tile with the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

This is a fragment of a Gothic tile with the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was found in the furnace dumps in 2006 during excavations of the inner courtyard of the palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius Lower Castle. The tile is covered with brown glaze. The panel depicts a knight riding dexter with a sword raised above his head. Behind the rider is a shield in late Gothic style with the Double Cross of the Jagiellonian dysnasty (Jogailaičiai). The design of the tile is highly stylised, but it is possible to recognise the shape of the sword and the helmet, known as a bascinet, which were typical for Western Europe.