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LOT 1715
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Urnes Openwork Mount
11TH CENTURY A.D.
1 5/8 in. (17.75 grams, 41 mm).
Comprising a heater-shaped frame with integral openwork Urnes-style enmeshed beast. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Gloucestershire, UK.
FootnotesThe design is clearly based on Anglo-Scandinavian stirrup mount but the item is not substantial enough for this purpose and lacks both the attachment point at the apex and the rear ledge which characterise these pieces. Possibly a casket-mount or fitting, or a decorative item from riding harness.
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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Viking Period Silver Filigree Pendant
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
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Viking Silver Elfshot Pendant with Stone Arrowhead
9th-11th century A.D. and earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £572
An amulet with a silver cap securing an arrow-shaped flint insert. 2.43 grams, 34 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
This amulet was believed to offer protection against 'Elfshot'. The attack of elves was believed responsible for mysterious suffering in men and livestock: sudden shooting pains localised to a particular area of the body, such as in rheumatism, arthritis, or muscle stitches or cramps. Elves were thought to shoot darts or arrows where such pains had no obvious external cause. Belief in elfshot persisted into the 20th century in rural areas, and as proof, country folk would sometimes find small arrowheads (the remains of Neolithic or Mesolithic flints, or naturally-occurring spear-shaped stones) that were believed to be the magical weapons that caused the afflictions. Belief in elfshot began in the Pagan Germanic period.