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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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'The Stratton Strawless' Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Urnes Beast Mount
11th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Openwork interlace plaque with Urnes Style stag and serpent, attachment points at outer edge. 14 grams, 39 mm
Found Stratton Strawless, Norfolk, UK. From an old private collection of Norfolk, UK, gentleman, formed since 1998. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.NMS-E92C94.
The motif of the stag and the serpents is associated especially with Urnes Style objects. -
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Bound Loki Suspension Mount
10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Belt mount with loop above and strap to reverse; openwork frame with rosettes and central facing mask. 3..25 grams, 32 mm
Acquired in Germany after WWII. Ex property of a lady living in Kent, UK; formerly part of her grandfather's collection. From an old private collection of Norfolk, UK, gentleman, formed since 1998.
The image is often interpreted as the trickster-god Loki bound to a rock, as he was said to be in Norse myth (e.g. the poem Völuspá, verse 35). -
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.
