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LOT 1770
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Key with Openwork Handle
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/4 in. (39 grams total, 58 mm).
With large discoid bow, barrel shank and hooked bit, trefoil slot to the rear edge; the large circular bow with openwork tree motif, pointillé detailing. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of the famous author, writer and speaker, Gordon Bailey, Essex, UK; formed since 1968.
LiteratureCf. for three similar shaped keys found in Sweden, see the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm, display no.19, including one from Ramsättra, Köping parish, Öland, Sweden.
FootnotesIn the Viking Age, keys were a symbol of power worn prominently attached to the belt or chatelaine of the lady of the household. Handing over the set of keys may have formed part of the marriage ceremony, when the bride accepted her new role as the leading female of the community. In Anglo-Saxon England, the contents of the locked areas (cupboards and chests) were the specific responsibility of the lady, the key-holder.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1770
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Key with Openwork Handle
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,860
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Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Stirrup Mount with Bear's Heads
11th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Teardrop-shaped and slightly domed with loop at the apex (absent) and two radiating lugs at the lower corners; low-relief design of a dense interlaced panel with beast-head at the apex; ledge to reverse with ferrous remains of stud. 31.8 grams, 53 mm
Found Suffolk, UK. From an old private collection of Norfolk, UK, gentleman, formed since 1998. -
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Urnes Pendant
11th century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
Triangular in profile with openwork Urnes Style interlace, attachment pins to lower corners (one absent). 11.2 grams, 41 mm
Found near York, UK. From an old private collection of Norfolk, UK, gentleman, formed since 1998.
The design is clearly based on the contemporary stirrup mount style with dense openwork interlace and attachment points; the item lacks the rear ledge and attachment stud of the true mounts. -
Viking Age Iron Knife with Decoration
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Two-edged blade with low-relief hatched zoomorphic ornament. 27 grams, 14.5 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
