Loading, please wait...
LOT 1572
Saxon Silver-Gilt Pin with Beast Heads
8TH CENTURY A.D.
3 in. (2.91 grams, 76 mm).
With a flat, tongue-shaped head connected to the shaft by a rectangular collar; the shaft with a bulbous 'rib’ approximately 20 mm from the tip; the upper portion of the head with radiate detailing and a Trewhiddle Style zoomorph; recessed panel with knotwork motif below, within an elliptical panel with lateral flanches towards the base. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Lord McAlpine collection.
Ex David Miller collection.
Hammond, Aaron, Discovering Jewellery, A Collector's and Investor's Guide, Greenlight Publishing, Ipswich, p.420; and Hammond, B., British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010.
LiteratureCf. Webster, L. & Backhouse, J., The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.96-7, fig.69e-f.
FootnotesDress pins of this period are often 'hipped', with a small bulb about two-thirds of the length of the shank in order to secure them in the weave of the fabric. The present piece is very delicate and would have been suitable only for a fine linen or silk garment of the highest quality.
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 Gold Chip-Carved Bronze Saucer Brooch
Circa 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
With central bosses within a pelletted ring, plain band with stamped roundels, billetted outer band and flared rim; pin-lug, pin and catch to the reverse. 7.01 grams, 26 mm
Found Cambridgeshire, UK. -
Late Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Cloisonne Brooch
Circa 11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
With central raised cell and cloisonné enamel quatrefoil, flange rim. 3.72 grams, 22 mm
Acquired between the 1960s-early 1990s. From an old UK private collector from Worthing, West Sussex, UK. Property of K.P., a Cornish lady collector, UK. -
Anglo-Saxon Bronze Bucket Decorated with Foliage
Late 5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
Squat vessel, cylindrical in form with lateral D-shaped lugs at the rim, each pierced to accept a bronze drop-handle with returned ends; the outer face with decorative frieze executed in pointillé technique with pellets between the bands consisting of (1) an upper band of running zigzags with fill; (2) clusters of three pellets; (3) sinuous curved line with fronds in the voids; (4) repeat of (2); (5) repeat of (1); underside with three soldered silver panels, possibly ancient repairs. 527 grams, 18.5 cm wide
Found East Anglia, believed Cambridgeshire, UK. From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
The vessel is formally similar to the group of bronze vessels believed to have been made in Antioch in the 6th century, which have been recovered from 6th-7th century grave fields in England (Carver, 2005; Mango et al, 1989) and from sites in the Mediterranean area (see Drandaki, n.d.). While it lacks the elaborate hunting scenes and Greek inscriptions of the more complex examples, it shows most of the same decorative and constructional features.
