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LOT 0363
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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LOT 0363
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Mount with Wolf-Men
Estimate £1,000 - 1,400€1,160 - 1,620 (for guidance only)$1,350 - 1,890 (for guidance only)
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Anglo-Saxon Bronze Artefact Collection
6th-9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Comprising pins, strap ends, mounts, tweezers, brooches and others; mostly fragmentary. 117 grams total, 13-59 mm
Found Thwing, Yorkshire Wolds, UK. Acquired from the finder in 2009. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. -
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Chip-Carved Bronze Hanging Bowl Mount
Early 9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,600
Triangular mount with applied rim forming a cell and interlocking La Tène spirals to the face; hook to the apex with recesses; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 9.11 grams, 34 mm (29.8 grams total, 59 mm including stand)
Found Haddenham near Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK. From the collection of Dirk Kennis, Belgium.
The cells on the mount were intended to be filled with coloured enamel to produce a rich polychrome effect. Recorded, studied, and determined by the Secretary of State’s Expert Adviser as an object of cultural interest. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) considered an application to export this object. The Committee concluded that the object satisfied the third Waverley criterion and is therefore currently not exportable. -
Anglo-Saxon Bronze Shield Mount with Animal Masks and Beast Heads
6th century A.D.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £300
The eight arms arranged with alternating trefoil and tapering terminals, the trilobate arms formed as animal masks, the tapering arms as dragon-heads, all with stylised detailing in relief; punched circlets to the field; some remains of mounting lug to reverse centre. 68 grams, 54 mm
Found Norfolk, UK. From an East Anglian private collection.