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LOT 0336
Eastern Viking Period Laten Inlaid Iron Axehead
9TH CENTURY A.D.
7 in. (275 grams, 17.7 cm).
With narrow straight blade, shank to the rear with square hammer-face, inlaid geometric and vegetal ornaments. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Hjardar, K. & Vike, V., Vikings at war, Oxford-Philadelphia, 2016, p.163, lett. Y, for typology.
FootnotesBattle-axes came into use in Scandinavia, especially in the Eastern parts of Sweden, Gotland and Denmark. Among the types, there were narrow-bladed types described to be very light in the sources. They could weigh as little as 200-250 grams, making them suitable for single-handed use. Some of them were decorated according to the Slavic taste.
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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Marlik Type Bronze Dagger with Integral Hilt
14th-10th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
The blade with raised mid-rib and penannular guard, integral flanged hilt with organic inserts for the grip and crescentic pommel. 368 grams, 31.5 cm
Ex London art market, 1980-1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
These daggers were cast in one-piece mould. Some scholars (Negahban) states that blade and grip were cast in one piece mould, and that the penannular guard was later cast onto the blade. However the main characteristic was the hilt and pommel open to accept organic inlays, here preserved. -
Viking Silver Inlaid Iron Weight
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Polyhedral weight bearing Insular Style inlaid decoration in the form of serpentine creatures in tondos, on a silver inlaid background. 176 grams, 38 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
These weights were adopted by the Vikings from Middle Eastern examples and appear to have become a typical weight standard for traders. They are, in archaeology, an important form of evidence for the Viking commerce. Many of them, like those found in Ireland and of Arabic type, suggest a standardised system of weights in different areas. -
Jin Jurchen Warrior Signed Suit of Iron Plate Armour
Jin Dynasty, early 13th century A.D.Estimate: £8,000 - 10,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,500
A complete suite of rectangular iron plates to form a protective coat; the plates provided with a series of holes close to the long edges by which they were laced together into articulating panels; one plate with inscription in Chinese script recording: 'first month of the Datong era / control of the propagation of Armour. Yanhui'. 8.5 kg total, 3-11.1 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. Accompanied by a positive archaeometallurgy report by Dr Brian Gilmour PhD, Dip Cons, FSA, FCIFA, FRMS. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12051-216403. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The Datong Era (大同, 1224–1233) is a name used for the reign of Puxian Wannu, a Jurchen warlord who established the Eastern Xia Dynasty in 13th century China. However, the war with the Jurchen states took more than 30 years: having first invaded the Jurchen borders in 1211, the Mongols finally defeated the Jin Empire only in 1234, while the Eastern Xia fell in 1246.
