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LOT 1187
Merovingian Lettered Openwork Plate Brooch
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1 7/8 in. (15.6 grams, 43 mm).
A rectangular bronze brooch decorated with punched ring-and-dot motifs and openwork lettering, possibly 'RIC/VLF'; hinged pin and catch to reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1980s.
Ex UK collection.
Property of a Portsmouth, UK gentleman.
Cf.Various, Die Franken, Wegbereiter Europas, Mainz, 1996, pp.29, 292.
FootnotesThe item was probably part of a Merovingian belt fitting, later transformed in brooch with the application of the pin and catch. The name 'Riculf' or 'Ricolf' belonged to a bishop of Cologne, Germany, from 763 to 784 A.D.
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AUCTIONS:
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Merovingian Lettered Openwork Plate Brooch
6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £165
A rectangular bronze brooch decorated with punched ring-and-dot motifs and openwork lettering, possibly 'RIC/VLF'; hinged pin and catch to reverse. 15.6 grams, 43 mm
Fine condition.
Acquired 1970s-1980s. Ex UK collection. Property of a Portsmouth, UK gentleman.
The item was probably part of a Merovingian belt fitting, later transformed in brooch with the application of the pin and catch. The name 'Riculf' or 'Ricolf' belonged to a bishop of Cologne, Germany, from 763 to 784 A.D. -
Migration Period Gold Filigree Bracteate Pendant
6th century A.D.Estimate: £180 - 240 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £90
A bracteate pendant composed of a sheet-gold body decorated with an X-motif formed of gold granules within a filigree roundel, additional rings and crescents of small granules at the centre, applied suspension loop. 1.19 grams,19 mm
Fine condition.
Acquired 1970-2010. Collection of a late Japanese gentleman. -
Large Germanic Silver Buckle
6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £127
A heavy silver belt buckle, the bow and tongue decorated with raised nodules, rectangular plate with beaded edges, pierced through the corners, modern plate for attachment. 101 grams, 87 mm
Fine condition.
Acquired mid 1980s to early 1990s. Private family collection formed in London.
The construction of the buckle loop and tongue could suggest that this object originates from the Heruli culture, when compared to finds like those from the Ulów graves. Another possibility is that the buckle belongs to Alemannic or Frankish culture. The rectangular buckle plate seems to be an addition from a different buckle of Gothic type, but the assemblage could have been done already in antiquity.
