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Viking Age Gold Elfshot Pendant
9th-11th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £364
Comprising a D-shaped gold cap with integral loop above, inset knapped flint blade. 3.41 grams, 27 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This amulet was believed to offer protection against 'Elfshot'. The attack of elves was believed responsible for mysterious suffering in men and livestock: sudden shooting pains localised to a particular area of the body, such as in rheumatism, arthritis or muscle stitches or cramps. Elves were thought to shoot darts or arrows where such pains had no obvious external cause. Belief in elfshot persisted into the 20th century in rural areas, and as proof country folk would sometimes find small arrowheads (the remains of Neolithic or Mesolithic flints, or naturally-occurring spear-shaped stones) that were believed to be the magical weapons that caused the afflictions. Belief in elfshot began in the Pagan Germanic period. -
Viking Period Bronze Ear Scoop and Pin Group
10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Comprising: a pin with tapering shank and bird finial with loop above; an ear scoop with rounded bowl and wide teardrop-shaped looped handle with granulation. 15.8 grams total, 65-75 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Scandinavian Viking Sacrificed Bronze Pendant Crosses on Loop
9th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Wire loop with coiled ends attached to two cruciform pendants; each with Corpus Christi beneath a cross pommy, one with raised border, the other low-relief. 9.46 grams, pendant: 36 mm wide
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Viking Gilt Bronze Brooch with Beast Heads
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
Lozengiform in plan with central cross, the arms with beast-heads, central rectangular boss; remains of pin-lugs and catchplate to the reverse. 7.38 grams, 25 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Anglo-Saxon Bronze Strap End
9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Convex-sided with two attachment holes at the upper edge, niello-filled limb detail to the body and beast-head finial; Thomas's Class A. 3.58 grams, 41 mm
Ex Brown collection, Cambridgeshire, UK. Property of a Kent, UK, lady collector since 2013. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Viking Age Decorated Bronze Broad Axehead Pendant
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Formed with a ropework band to the edge of each cheek and the socket, doubling as the suspension loop. 5.2 grams, 33 mm wide
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Germanic Bronze Ring with Leaping Lion
Circa 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Comprising a D-section slender hoop thickening at the base, parallel lines to the shoulders, discoid bezel with a stylised lion in a dynamic pose with its tail raised. 1.91 grams, 23.27 mm overall, 18.74 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q 1/2, USA 8 1/4, Europe 18.12, Japan 17)
Acquired on the UK art market before 2000. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Scandinavian Viking Bronze Bracelet with Bear's Heads
8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,080
Flat-section with low-relief reserved zigzag and longitudinal bands, each end with a bear's head and forepaws in plan. 63 grams, 65 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Late Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Casket Key
10th-13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
For a slide lock, the shaft with an open circular projection to one end and a larger openwork rectangular projection to the other end terminating with a T-shaped extension. 7.67 grams, 54 mm
Acquired on the UK art market circa 2005. From an old North Country, UK, collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
There is much discussion among the scholars on such slide keys, known popularly as 'Viking' keys. According to Kevin Leahy '...they do look something like the keys that come from Viking graves and from Viking sites but I have never seen an example that had the 'T' shaped extension for the end of the bit and I can't actually see how this would have functioned in a slide lock.' An iron example was found at Coppergate in York, in a 12th to 13th century context. -
Viking Bronze Decorated Arm Bangle
9th-11th century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £572
Comprising a substantial D-section coil with lines of punched decoration to the median facet and knotwork bands at the upper and lower sections. 261 grams, 80 mm
Acquired in the 1980s. Ex Mayfair gallery, London, UK. Private collection, London, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Anglo-Saxon 'Carolingian' Lead Strap End
8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
Tongue-shaped with an interlaced beast design, transverse bar above. 14.8 grams, 32 mm
Found Sutton Fields, Sutton on the Forest, Yorkshire, UK, in April 2013. From the private collection of Robin Sykes, Yorkshire, UK, formed since the late 1990s. Accompanied by an illustrated record card by Jim Halliday. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Viking Age Bronze Twisted Bracelet with Flattened Terminals
9th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Two rods tightly twisted and curved into a penannular shape with tapering finials, the bracelet hammered on each side into a square section. 42 grams, 70 mm
From a Sussex, UK, private collection; acquired 1980s-1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.