Loading, please wait...
_900x900.jpg "Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Key with Openwork Handle")
_200x200.jpg "Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Key with Openwork Handle")
.jpg "Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Key with Openwork Handle")
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 1770
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Key with Openwork Handle
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,860
-
Viking Age Silver 'Hack Money' Bar Ingot Group
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Rectangular- and flat-section bar sections with test nicks and burred edges. 50.3 grams total, 26-50 mm
Ex Spink and Sons, London, UK. Ex Nigel Mills, London, UK, 2014. -
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Strap End
10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Tongue-shaped with openwork design, median figure of a bird with wings spread, domed bosses to the frame. 10.8 grams, 39 mm
Found Norfolk, UK. From an old private collection of Norfolk, UK, gentleman, formed since 1998. -
Viking Age Iron Long Bearded Axe Head
Circa 10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
With broad curved blade and short spur beneath the chin, narrow neck, deep socket with extended edge to the reverse. 603 grams, 14.5 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
The axe seems to be a variation of type IV of the Kirpichnikov classification of the Eastern Rus Axes typology. These axes appeared in the 10th century, and continued in the 10th-11th century.
