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LOT 0331
Pre-Viking Silver-Gilt Mythical Beast Helmet Mount
CIRCA 5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
1 5/8 in. (13.6 grams, 42 mm).
In the form of an equine creature modelled in the round with long beak and arched neck; panels of gilded Style I ornament to each lateral face, stepped band with punched detailing extending from the ears to the chest; rounded rump with pointillé detailing; hollow mounting socket to the underside.
ProvenanceAcquired early 1990s.
From an 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.11895-204402.
Cf. PAS record NLM-219C93, for a similar item from Alborough, Yorkshire; possibly of Scandinavian manufacture, cf. gilded animal-brooch (wolf?) from the 5th c. Danish find at Engegårds jorder in Adamsen, C., Sort Muld, Bornholms Museum, 2008, p.62(1).
FootnotesThe socket on the underside suggests that the mount was placed prominently, perhaps on the crest of a helmet. Zoomorphic helmet mounts are known e.g. the boars on the Benty Grange and Wollaston examples, though these are not so detailed as the present example. The item is too small to be seen from afar but is ornate enough to attract attention at close quarters. Stylistically, the piece might have been made in southern Scandinavia or in an Anglian area of England in the later 5th or 6th century A.D.
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LOT 0331
Pre-Viking Silver-Gilt Mythical Beast Helmet Mount
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
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Viking Age Bronze Decorated Bracelet
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Of penannular form with convex outer face and geometric ornament to the body, likely zoomorphic terminal; child-sized. 26.6 grams, 50 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
Similar bracelets were found in pairs on the remains of the left forearm bones of a female, in grave 83 of Hemlanden cemetery in Birka. These bracelets, as visible in this grave, were usually worn in pairs on both arms. -
Large Viking Silver Pendant with Concentric Circle Design
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
In repoussé, complete with an applied suspension loop and central dome. 7.46 grams, 53 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s. -
Viking Age Silver-Gilt Jar with Interlaced Design and Pseudo-Arabic Inscription
Circa 11th century A.D.Estimate: £8,000 - 10,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £4,444
With later gilded outer face, globular body on a low splayed foot-ring, rolled rim; repoussé ornament comprising a circumferential ring below the neck, two parallel rings to the equator above a band of looped and interlaced tendrils with leaves and ring below, hatching to the foot-ring; median band with legend in Pseudo-Arabic script. 301 grams, 10.6 cm high
Fair condition.
In a private German collection since the 1980s. Property of a gentleman; acquired on the UK art market in 1998. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11007-181733.
