Loading, please wait...
LOT 0272
Saxon Gold Jewelled Necklace Element
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (1.65 grams, 19 mm).
A gold ornament of discoid form with granulated border, central lozengiform cell with concave sides and turquoise-coloured enamel fill, semi-circular polished garnet cloison to each quarter, two ribbed suspension loops to the perimeter and two parallel tubular suspension loops to reverse.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
Cf. similar motif repeated on a Byzantine-inspired mount from Kudenetov, Russia, plate 17 in Adams, N., Rethinking the Sutton Hoo Shoulder-Clasps and Armour, in Entwistle, C. & Adams, N., Intelligible Beauty, Recent Research into Byzantine Jewellery, London, 2010.
FootnotesThe item clearly forms part of a necklace or bracelet secured by means of cords passing through the tubes on the reverse, and attached to its neighbours by links passing through the lateral hoops.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Anglo-Saxon Artefact Group
6th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
A mixed bronze group comprising: a flat-section bracelet with flared ends, incised and punched linear ornament; a pair of wrist-clasps fused (probably from a funeral pyre); an openwork panel fragment, probably from a stirrup mount. 56.7 grams total, 36-68 mm
Found Cambridgeshire, UK. -
Anglo-Saxon and Other Artefact Group
2nd-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £64
A mixed bronze group comprising: an Anglo-Saxon tongue-shaped strap end with pelletted border, silver-inlaid panel of a regardant beast, securing rivet, animal-head finial; a Roman bronze finger ring with stepped shoulders; medieval tweezers with balustered and notched edges. 16 grams total, 21-62 mm
Fine condition.
Acquired 1970s-1980s. Ex UK collection. Property of a Portsmouth, UK gentleman. -
Saxon Garnet-Inlaid 'Face' Buckle Element
6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £432
A portion of a gold buckle or fitting with garnet cloisonné 'face' to the obverse, bands of granulation above and below; comprising a triangular panel with two garnet disc 'eyes' above a greenish (perhaps serpentine) filling to the upper cell, and a row of four garnets below; the effect represents either a face, or the other way up, two serpents settled with their addorsed heads resting on the baseline; two mounting loops to the reverse. 2.84 grams, 23 mm
Fine condition.
Acquired 1970-2010. Collection of a late Japanese gentleman.
The design replicates in cloisonné technique the dense artwork found for example on saucer brooches and sword pommels where serpents and quadrupeds are crowded into small spaces in the design. See for example Hammond (2009), item 1.1.6.6-h, a pair of saucer brooches with panels of animals and birds.