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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.
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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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Large Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Decorated Bronze Bangle
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Barrel-shaped in profile and C-shaped in section with parallel bands of impressed pellets and segmented lines to the outer face. 149 grams, 78 mm
Found UK. From a Cambridgeshire, UK, collection. -
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Key with Openwork Handle
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,860
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. 39 grams total, 58 mm
From the collection of the famous author, writer and speaker, Gordon Bailey, Essex, UK; formed since 1968.
In 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. -
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.