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LOT 1435
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Mount with Wolf-Men
6TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (9.08 grams, 32 mm).
The majority of a mount bearing dense and enigmatic imagery recalling half-remembered legends which were already ancient when it was made; the obverse packed with a tangled mass of bands of detailed ornament which resolves itself into human (or divine?) figures, each gripping the ankles of the other, their bodies inverted and contorted in the classic Style I chip-carved fashion; the centre with a round cell, into which a flat-cut glass cloison is set, polished to reflect the light and to shimmer with blood-red brilliance.
ProvenanceFound Wiltshire, UK.
Wiltshire gentleman, 2011.
TimeLine Originals, 2000s.
Property of an East Anglia gentleman.
Accompanied by a report by Anglo-Saxon and Viking specialist S. Pollington.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.10381-168115.
See MacGregor, A. and Bolick, E., A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), Oxford, 1993, item 25.6, for type.
FootnotesAnglo-Saxon and Viking specialist Stephen Pollington writes: '...the scene presented may illustrate a legend or myth of which no record survives. That said, the execution of the piece is consistent with high-status Anglo-Saxon metalwork of the 6th century, and the quality of the gilding is remarkably high. The iconography is at present unique but entirely within the Anglo-Saxon tradition.'
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1435
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Mount with Wolf-Men
Estimate £1,200 - 1,700€1,390 - 1,970 (for guidance only)$1,620 - 2,300 (for guidance only)
-
Saxon Gold Disc Pendant with Expanding Cross
5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,560
Featuring a central boss and ribbed suspension loop; flat-section strips forming an expanding-arm cross, beaded wire collar to the boss, series of triangular punch marks to the outer border. 7.83 grams, 44 mm
By descent from a Russian noble family. From the collection of a North American gentleman. -
Large Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Harness Pendant with Dragons
Late 5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Comprising a bell-shaped body, slot to the upper end, beast-heads to the lateral edges, median raised rib, scrolled detailing to the lower edge; two rows of punchmarks, each a triangle containing three pellets and a separate pellet to the apex. 24.2 grams, 64 mm
Property of a Yorkshire gentleman; found by his grandfather during ground working in the 1950s; thence by descent. -
Saxon Bronze Sword Scabbard Pyramid Mount
Circa 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Garnet inlay to top face and one side face, the latter with hatched foil backing and set against a white meerschaum(?) field; three cells empty; rectangular recess to the underside with a median bar. 4.76 grams, 17 mm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
The mount had to slide on a strap as part of the suspension mechanism for the scabbard.
