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_900x900.jpg "Irish Early Christian Gilt-Bronze Drinking Horn Terminal")
_200x200.jpg "Irish Early Christian Gilt-Bronze Drinking Horn Terminal")
.jpg "Irish Early Christian Gilt-Bronze Drinking Horn Terminal")
LOT 0403
Irish Early Christian Gilt-Bronze Drinking Horn Terminal
6TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
1 5/8 in. (11 grams, 43 mm).
Slender in form and gently curved, formed as the head and neck of a crane with narrow beak and inset glass eyes; baluster to the rear and multilinear curved bands.
ProvenanceFound near Thetford, Norfolk, UK, circa 2018.
Property of a private collector, West London, UK.
Cf. Youngs, S. (ed.), The Work of Angels. Masterpieces of Celtic Metalwork, 6th-9th centuries AD, London, 1989, items 53, 54, for type.
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 0403
Irish Early Christian Gilt-Bronze Drinking Horn Terminal
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
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Anglo-Saxon Gilt Great Square-Headed Brooch with Garnet
6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,380
Comprising: trapezoidal headplate with beast-head spurs to the upper angles and concentric panels of Style I ornament with flanking billets; shallow bow with central cell and garnet cloison insert; short footplate with lateral lappets featuring profile masks and central lozenge; facing mask above a trapezoidal bar finial; pin-lugs and catch to the reverse; mounted on a custom-made stand. 74 grams, 11 cm (126 grams total, 13 cm high including stand)
with ArtAncient Ltd. Private collection, London. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12440-226863.
The meaning of the 'facing mask' motif on the footplate is probably related to the profile masks frequently used in Style I art, where the 'pellet' eye is enclosed by an arched frame: the 'facing mask' repeats this motif to produce a pair of eyes in a doubled 'bow'. An element of visual 'riddling' is no doubt present: the design is neither one thing nor the other, but includes elements of both. Distribution of great square-headed brooches was initially concentrated along the valleys of the Rivers Trent, Thames and Severn, though it was later confined to the East Midlands and East Anglia (Hines, 1997, figs. 101, 102). -
Anglo-Saxon Bronze Artefact Collection
6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Including strap-ends, dress-pin parts, book page-marker and other items. 52 grams total, 13-48 mm
From a private Barnsley, UK, family collection. -
Saxon Bronze Pin Set Pin Head
6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Flat-section disc with central hole, two bands of incised ring-and-dot motifs; chipped at junction with pin. 8.64 grams, 48 mm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman.
