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LOT 1672
Large Scandinavian Viking Bronze Horse Harness Pendant
8TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
4 3/4 in. (60 grams, 12.1 cm).
Broad sheet-bronze disc with band of repoussé bosses to the edge, applied cross-bands to the obverse and central boss; applied attachment loop with tremolier detailing. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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AUCTIONS:
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Viking Age Bronze Double Bell Pendant Group
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Each comprising a tubular bead with ribbing to the outer face, suspension loops each supporting a bottle-shaped dangle. 16 grams total, 39 mm each
UK gallery, early 2000s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The presence of a similar bell pendant in grave 735 of the Birka Necropolis, where a warrior and his horse were also buried, could lead to the belief that such pendants were part of the horse's harness. This was a very common custom in the Mediterranean world, which could also have been adopted by the Vikings. -
Viking Age Gold Bracteate Pendant
9th-11th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £169
A circular repoussé pendant with four raised domes to the centre arranged in the shape of a cross, stamped pellets to the border. 0.51 grams, 13 mm
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Pre-Viking Silver Filigree Bucket Pendant
4th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Miniature drum-shaped vessel with strap handle, beaded wire bands to top and bottom of sidewall, filigree loop ornament. 2.35 grams, 21 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.
Pendants in the form of miniature buckets have been found in a number of pagan Anglo-Saxon and Viking contexts and are generally made of bronze or iron, with gold examples being rare; three gold examples were found with the hoard from Hoen, Norway. Bronze bucket amulets have been found at Driffield in Yorkshire, and Vimose bog in Denmark, among other places. In form they represent wooden buckets bound with bronze or iron bands which have been found in Anglo-Saxon and Viking graves and are believed to have held mead or ale and were used to replenish the cups from which warriors drank. As amulets they probably represent the ecstatic power of alcoholic drink and the role of women as the dispensers of these precious beverages.
