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LOT 1497
Saxon Iron Artefact Collection
CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
3 3/8 - 15 in. (708 grams total, 8.7-38 cm).
Comprising a straight cutting edge battle knife with a short tang; a shorter slender cutting edge battle knife with long tang; three small hunting knives; an iron ring and a possible javelin head. [6, No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK gallery, early 2000s.
LiteratureCf. Carver, M., Sutton Hoo, A Seventh-Century princely burial ground and its context, figs.94, 97, 103, 118, for similar knives.
FootnotesBattle knives are common in 6th -7th century Anglo-Saxon graves. They were, when not used, kept in their sheath and suspended from the belt by a detachable strap with a buckle.
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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Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Of Hines's Group X with rectangular headplate featuring low-relief bird-heads and a raised piriform mask to each upper corner; shallow bow with raised ribs and a stud to the centre; triangular footplate with coiled horse-head lappets forming the shoulders, lateral lobes (one detached) with sheet-silver surface, inverted facing mask to the finial; remains of ferrous pin and catch to the reverse. 100 grams, 14.5 cm
Found near March, Cambridgeshire, UK, circa 2015.
A close match to the features of the March brooch is not recorded in Hines's corpus, but the very distinctive isosceles triangle footplate with sharp shoulders appears on the example from Little Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire (Hines's pl.33(b). The facing masks in the upper corners of the headplate also appear on an example from Driffield (Hines, 1997, pl.82(a). -
Anglo-Saxon Nummular Disc Brooch
6th-9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Displaying a stylised regardant beast standing within a raised geometric border, punched ring-and-dot eye and detailing; remains of pin lug and catchplate to reverse. 6.19 grams, 28 mm
Acquired on the UK market, 1990s. Property of a retired academic. -
Anglo-Saxon Gilt-Bronze Cruciform Mount
Circa 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,380
With a mounting stud at each corner; parcel-gilt surface with central reserved square filled with red enamel; cruciform motif, a scaphoid cell at each corner with red enamel fill, four interstitial panels with chip-carved Style I ornament. 19.8 grams, 31 mm
Found near Lakenheath, Suffolk, UK, circa 2012. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11892-204383.
The use of enamel is unusual in early Anglo-Saxon contexts, except in parts of East Anglia where it may have been preferred as an alternative to garnet cloisonné.
