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LOT 1671
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Stirrup Apex Mount
11TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/2 in. (22.7 grams, 38 mm).
Of Williams's Class B Type 3 Group 1 with openwork plaque, bear-head beneath two opposed wolf-heads, angled ledge with ferrous fixing studs.
ProvenanceFound Westberry, Wiltshire, UK.
LiteratureCf. Williams, D., Late Saxon Stirrup-Strap Mounts, York, 1997, item 420.
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 1671
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Stirrup Apex Mount
Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
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Viking Age Silver Axehead Pendant
Circa 8th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Tapering axehead pendant on a ring with coiled ends, triangular punched detailing. 3.75 grams, 44 mm
Acquired on the London art market in the late 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of an East London, UK, gentleman. -
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High-Status Scandinavian Viking Silver Snarling Dragon Mount
9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
Featuring a chip-carved knotted scheme between scrolling flanks, dragon’s head terminal with upturned nostrils and snarling mouth revealing two rows of vicious teeth; flat back with three studs for attachment; mounted on a custom-made stand. 7 grams, 23 mm (21 grams total, 57mm including stand)
Very fine condition.
Previously in a North European collection. Ex UK collection. Nigel Mills, East London, UK. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
Animal heads of this size were often used to make mounts or small weights. They often had insertions of precious stones in the eyes and cavities, and were made of gold, silver, lead, and gilded bronze. The Norse mythological bestiary was varied, and dragon heads were common. Perhaps this head represents the world serpent, Jǫrmungandr, son of Loki and destined to die at the hands of Thor in Ragnarok, in turn killing the god with his poisonous exhalations. -
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Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Wolf-Head Strap End
10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Elongated plate with longitudinal split and rivet; openwork scrolled tendril motif developing to a wolf-head. 14.6 grams, 55 mm
Found Norfolk, UK. From an old private collection of Norfolk, UK, gentleman, formed since 1998.
The head is sometimes attributed to Fenrir the cosmic wolf which will break free from the bonds the gods placed on it and destroy the world at the end of time.
