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LOT 1501
Eurasian Bronze Avar Patrix Group
8TH-9TH CENTURY A.D.
5 1/2 in. (411 grams total, 14 cm high including stand).
Comprising: flat bronze patrix of a hound with billets and zigzag detailing to the body curved foreleg, tail and hindleg; similar patrix of a feline with beaded collar and punched mane detailing, legs extended; mounted on a custom-made presentation stand. [2]
ProvenanceEx London gallery, 1990s.
with old labels to the reverse.
Cf. Bonora, G.L. Recipienti Zoomorfi a Carattere Rituale in Bonora, G.L. & Marzatico, F., Ori dei Cavalieri delle Steppe, Milan, 2007, p.232-41.
FootnotesPatrices were used to create thin sheet-silver or gold appliqués which were used to decorate wooden items, ritual items, clothing, horse-harness and other items.
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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Early Saxon Gold Disc Pendant of Possibly Christian Design
7th century A.D.Estimate: £3,500 - 4,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,400
Gusseted suspension loop, beaded-wire border, inset polished garnet at centre of cruciform and quatrefoil design in filigree and granulated ornament; held in a membranous display frame, the prominent cruciform design may well imply a Christian significance at this early date in the history of Christianity. 5.39 grams, 34 mm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.201092. -
Anglo-Saxon Lead Inlaid Trade Weight
6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Rectangular in form inlaid with wavy lines to both faces. 214 grams, 40 mm
Cambridgeshire collection, 1990s. -
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Mount with Wolf-Men
6th century A.D.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
The majority of a mount bearing dense and enigmatic imagery recalling half-remembered legends which were already ancient when it was made; the obverse packed with a tangled mass of bands of detailed ornament which resolves itself into human (or divine?) figures, each gripping the ankles of the other, their bodies inverted and contorted in the classic Style I chip-carved fashion; the centre with a round cell, into which a flat-cut glass cloison is set, polished to reflect the light and to shimmer with blood-red brilliance. 9.08 grams, 32 mm
Fine condition. Unique.
Found Wiltshire, UK. Wiltshire gentleman, 2011. TimeLine Originals, 2000s. Property of an East Anglia gentleman. Accompanied by a report by Anglo-Saxon and Viking specialist S. Pollington. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.10381-168115.
Anglo-Saxon and Viking specialist Stephen Pollington writes: '...the scene presented may illustrate a legend or myth of which no record survives. That said, the execution of the piece is consistent with high-status Anglo-Saxon metalwork of the 6th century, and the quality of the gilding is remarkably high. The iconography is at present unique but entirely within the Anglo-Saxon tradition.'